Category: English

The moment I stepped through the door, I heard vicious cursing echoing from the living room. “Eat! Hurry up and eat! This dog food costs more than anything you’ve eaten in your entire life. Don’t be ungrateful!” My heart tightened. I rushed into the living room and the scene before me made my blood boil. My father-in-law, who had just undergone heart bypass surgery, was curled up on the cold floor, his face deathly pale. The butler my wife Isabelle had hired at great expense, Marcus Snow, was wearing my clothes, one foot pressing down on my father-in-law’s shoulder, holding a reeking dog bowl and forcefully shoving it at the old man’s mouth. “Marcus! Are you insane!” I immediately rushed over and knocked the dog bowl out of his hands. The foul-smelling dog food splattered all over him. Marcus jumped up in rage, pointing at my nose and cursing. “What’s your problem? How dare you splash me?” He brushed at the stains on his clothes with disgust, then glanced contemptuously at my father-in-law collapsed on the floor. “I was just teaching this old country bumpkin some manners! Your wife said I’m in charge of this house! These crude country folk are full of bad habits. Letting him eat dog food is already doing him a huge favor!” His face was full of contempt, without a shred of guilt. In fact, he seemed to think his actions were perfectly justified. I trembled with rage, my nails digging into my palms. My father-in-law was Victor Sterling, one of the top financial powers in the capital, and Isabelle’s biological father! Normally, Isabelle didn’t even dare breathe loudly in front of him. Now he was being stepped on and force-fed dog food by a butler!

I was about to explain my father-in-law’s identity when Marcus sneered and kicked him hard in the chest. “Stop pretending! You haven’t finished mopping the floor!” The kick was brutal. My father-in-law grunted, clutching his chest. His face instantly turned from white to purple. His throat made wheezing sounds like a broken bellows as he curled into a ball in agony, unable to form a complete sentence. “Victor!” I threw myself forward and grabbed hold of my father-in-law. His heart couldn’t handle this kind of shock. His whole body was convulsing violently. I frantically searched his pockets for his emergency heart pills. But Marcus grabbed my hair and yanked me backward: “Stop putting on this sob story for me! You country people love drama. Trying to scam us, are you?” He pulled out his phone and started recording me and my father-in-law: “Hey everyone, you won’t believe what I’m dealing with today. This is the poor husband who married up to Miss Sterling. Not only is he covered in germs, but now he’s learned to fake illness to extort money.” When Isabelle married me years ago, a penniless country boy, her whole family objected. After the wedding, my status in this mansion was lower than a servant’s. Even the butler dared to lord over me. I endured the tearing pain in my scalp and slapped Marcus hard across the face. “Smack!” The crisp sound echoed through the living room. “Shut up! If something happens to him, even Isabelle can’t save you!” Marcus held his rapidly swelling cheek, his eyes turning venomous: “How dare you, you worthless freeloader! Guards! Throw these two beggars out!” Two burly bodyguards immediately rushed in from outside. These were men Isabelle had specifically assigned to Marcus, supposedly to protect her lifesaver. Isabelle trusted this butler to her core, even giving him authority over the household security. “Let go of me! Are you blind! Look carefully at who he is!” I struggled desperately, but the bodyguards pinned me to the ground on both sides. The head bodyguard sneered without even glancing at my father-in-law: “Mr. Mitchell, Miss Sterling instructed us that all household rules follow Mr. Snow’s orders.” They roughly hauled up my ailing father-in-law. His head lolled limply, his lips already turning dark blue. “You’ll regret this! When Isabelle comes back and sees how you treated him, she’ll make you wish you were dead!” I screamed in despair. Marcus walked up to me and ground the pointed toe of his leather shoe into the back of my hand. The piercing pain made me gasp. ” Mitchell, do you really think you’re some kind of wealthy son-in-law? Isabelle already told me—you’re just a useless waste taking up space. Once I fully gain Isabelle’s trust, you and your poor old man will both be sent back to the countryside to farm.” He kicked my hand away contemptuously and waved at the bodyguards: “Drag this old bastard to the outdoor pool! Today I’ll teach you both a lesson on behalf of Miss Sterling!”

“Touch him and see what happens! I’ll fight you all today!” Like a crazed beast, I broke free from the bodyguards’ grip and bit down hard on the head bodyguard’s wrist. The taste of blood instantly filled my mouth. The bodyguard cried out in pain and backhanded me with a punch, knocking me to the ground. My mouth hit the edge of the coffee table, blood seeping from the corner of my lips. “What are you waiting for? Lock these two paupers in the backyard. No one opens that door without my permission!” Marcus shrieked furiously. The two bodyguards stopped being polite. They dragged and hauled me and my father-in-law to the outdoor pool in the backyard. With a heavy thud, the thick double glass door was locked tight. It was December in the capital. Outside, heavy snow was falling, and the temperature was near ten degrees below zero. My father-in-law was only wearing thin house clothes. Now he was curled into a ball, shaking like a leaf in autumn wind. “Nathan, my… my chest hurts so much…” My father-in-law weakly extended his bony hand and gripped my clothes tightly. His voice was so faint it was barely audible, his breathing growing more rapid. I hurriedly stripped off my down jacket and wrapped it tightly around my father-in-law. “Victor, hang on. I’ll call an ambulance right away!” I fumbled with trembling hands for the phone in my pocket. It was empty. I jerked my head up. Through the transparent glass door, Marcus was smugly waving my phone. Inside, the heat was set to seventy-nine degrees. He wore designer house clothes stolen from my closet, lounging comfortably on the sofa. “Want your phone? Beg me.” He pressed the intercom button. His mocking voice rang out over the backyard: “Nathan, where’s that backbone you had when you hit me? Didn’t you say Isabelle would kill me when she got back? I’d like to see who freezes to death tonight.” I rushed to the glass door and pounded on the frame: “Marcus! Please, I’m begging you! Give me the phone! My father-in-law really has heart disease. He’ll die!” I pounded until my hands were red. Marcus leisurely peeled an imported cherry and popped it in his mouth: “Heart disease? Pretty convincing act. You old bastards from the sticks are tougher than cockroaches. One night in the cold won’t kill you.” My father-in-law’s face had turned from dark blue to deathly pale. His eyes were rolling back. His hand clutching his chest gradually loosened, his body sliding down limply. “Victor! Victor, wake up!” I completely broke down. I turned to the intercom and screamed: “Marcus! The medicine is in the black bag on the living room sofa! Give me the medicine! Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it!” Marcus paused for a moment. He walked to the sofa, pulled out the black bag, and took out a white medicine bottle. “Well, well. There really is medicine.” He shook the bottle through the glass, his lips curling into a malicious smile: “If you want the medicine, it’s not impossible. Kneel down now. and shout ‘I’m a country bumpkin’ three times. Then I’ll slide the medicine through the door crack.” I looked at my dying father-in-law. Without any hesitation, I dropped to my knees on the freezing tiles. My knees hit the hard ice, the pain piercing. But I couldn’t care about that. Bang! Bang! Bang! “I’m a country bumpkin! I’m a country bumpkin! I’m a country bumpkin!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, my voice especially desolate in the wind and snow. “Can you give me the medicine now?” I stared hopefully at the medicine bottle in Marcus’s hand. But Marcus suddenly clutched his stomach and burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he was nearly in tears: “Nathan, you really are an obedient dog. Too bad—I suddenly changed my mind.” Right in front of me, he unscrewed the cap of the medicine bottle. Under my confused and horrified gaze, he poured the entire bottle of life-saving emergency heart pills into the nearby trash can. “Oops, my hand slipped.” Marcus covered his mouth affectedly. “You country people are tough. You can survive a night in the cold, right?”

“Isabelle, you’re finally back! Nathan’s poor father brought an infectious disease and even hit me!” The door suddenly burst open. Isabelle walked in, bringing a blast of cold air with her. Marcus immediately dropped his arrogant expression. Covering his swollen cheek, he hurried forward, “I just asked his father to take a bath, and his father…” He stopped mid-sentence deliberately, looked down at the barely visible red mark on his hand, and forced a bitter smile: “Forget it. I shouldn’t have meddled. After all, I’m just a butler. Getting hit is my own fault.” Isabelle was the only daughter of the Sterling family. Years ago, she rejected all the wealthy young men in the capital to marry me, a penniless nobody. After moving into the Sterling family mansion, my status plummeted while her need to control the household grew daily. My already desperate heart suddenly sparked with a glimmer of hope at the sight of Isabelle. I frantically pounded on the glass door, making dull thuds. “Isabelle! Open the door! Save Victor! He’s having a heart attack!” I dragged my father-in-law, numb from the cold, to the door, trying to let Isabelle see his face clearly. But the glass was covered with thick frost. She couldn’t see the figure outside at all. She didn’t even turn her head, looking at Marcus with distress in her eyes. “What happened? Who hit you?” Marcus lowered his eyes, his voice hoarse: “It’s nothing, Isabelle. Really nothing. Just broke the skin a little. Not worth getting upset over.” My eyes widened as I stared at the barely visible red mark on Marcus’s finger. It was clearly from when he’d accidentally scratched himself on a cherry pit earlier. Isabelle’s expression instantly darkened, her eyes filled with murderous intent. She turned toward the backyard, her gaze as cold as a poisoned blade: “Nathan, I usually tolerate you out of marital consideration, but you actually brought your poor father here to cause trouble? And you dared to hurt Marcus?” I shook my head frantically, my voice already hoarse from shouting: “Isabelle, are you blind! That’s not my father—that’s your real father, Victor Sterling! He just had heart surgery. He’s dying. Please open the door!” Isabelle laughed mockingly, as if she’d heard the joke of the century. She pressed the intercom, her voice dripping with disdain: “Nathan, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. My father is recuperating in Switzerland. How could he possibly appear here dressed like a beggar? To protect your poor father, you’d tell such a lie. You disgust me.” She turned to the bodyguards behind her, her tone ice-cold: “Open the door.” I thought she was finally going to let us in. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief. But Isabelle’s next words plunged me into hell. “Throw these two paupers into the snow outside. Don’t let their poverty stink up my carpet.” The bodyguards immediately opened the door. A bone-chilling wind mixed with snowflakes rushed into the living room. They roughly grabbed my arms and dragged me and my father-in-law toward the front door. “No! Isabelle, you can’t do this!” I clung desperately to the doorframe, my nails leaving bloody scratches on the wood. “If you throw him out today, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” Isabelle held Marcus close, looking down at me without a trace of warmth in her eyes: “The biggest regret of my life was marrying you, this disgraceful country man. Marcus is my lifesaver. Anyone who dares touch a hair on his head—I’ll take their life.” The bodyguard gave a hard shove and kicked me into the snow. My father-in-law was thrown down beside me. The iron gate slammed shut in front of us. I crawled over and held my father-in-law. His body was already stiff, his breathing barely perceptible. The snow fell harder and harder, quickly piling thick layers on us. Through the mansion’s enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see Isabelle carefully putting a band-aid on Marcus’s finger. Marcus let her fuss over him. His gaze passed through the glass and landed on me, his lips curling into a malicious, cold smile. I held my father-in-law tightly, my heart feeling as though an invisible hand had crushed it. “Isabelle, you threw him in the snow today. Tomorrow you’ll be begging on your knees for him to live.”

“Still howling like ghosts out there? Pour cold water on him! Wake him up!” Isabelle’s cruel voice came through the yard’s loudspeaker. Immediately after, two bodyguards appeared on the second-floor balcony. A basin of dirty water mixed with ice chunks poured down from above, landing precisely on me and my father-in-law. With a tremendous splash, the ice water instantly stole what little body heat we had left. My father-in-law’s body convulsed violently, then his head lolled to one side. He went completely still. “Victor! Victor!” I shook my father-in-law frantically, but he kept his eyes closed. Even his faint breathing had disappeared. His heartbeat had stopped. In that moment, something in my brain snapped completely. I suddenly stood up, grabbed a decorative brick from the snow, and smashed it frantically at the smart lock by the front door. Sparks flew. The alarm shrieked through the night. The bodyguards inside were startled. They instinctively opened the door to stop me. I seized the opportunity and rammed my head into a bodyguard’s chest, snatching his walkie-talkie and backup phone. With trembling hands, I dialed emergency services and hoarsely screamed out the address. “Come save someone! The patient has no heartbeat! Hurry!” Ten minutes later, an ambulance screeched to a stop in front of the mansion. A paramedic grabbed a defibrillator and rushed out. “Where’s the patient?” I crawled and stumbled toward them, pointing at my father-in-law in the snow: “Over here! Please save him!” The doctor was about to crouch down to examine him when the mansion door opened again. Isabelle walked out with Marcus, her face dark. “Who gave you permission to come in?” Isabelle strode forward and blocked the paramedic: “Doctor, check Marcus’s hand first. He just had a shock and his finger is bleeding. It needs immediate treatment.” The doctor glanced at Marcus’s finger with its cartoon band-aid, completely speechless: “Ma’am, that elderly gentleman is in cardiac arrest! This is a life-or-death situation!” Isabelle snorted coldly, glancing dismissively at my father-in-law in the snow: “Some country old man. If he dies, he dies. How precious can he be? I’m the young mistress of Sterling Group. I order you to examine Marcus immediately!” Just as the doctor hesitated and I prepared to fight Isabelle, a deafening roar suddenly came from the night sky. Three black helicopters bearing the Sterling family crest tore through the wind and snow, circling above the mansion. The powerful airflow made the surrounding tree branches sway wildly. Isabelle paused, then her face filled with smugness. She thought this was the high-end private medical service she’d specially booked to please Marcus. “Marcus, look. The helicopter I called for you is here.” Isabelle took Marcus’s hand and walked proudly toward where the helicopter was landing. Marcus was even more excited, his face flushed. He glanced at me arrogantly: “Nathan, see that? This is what wealth looks like. A poor man like you will never experience it in your lifetime.” The helicopter landed steadily. The cabin door opened. A team of fully armed black-clad bodyguards and top medical experts in white coats filed out. Isabelle eagerly stepped forward, pointing at Marcus: “Thank you all for coming. The patient is—” She didn’t finish her sentence. From my father-in-law’s inner pocket, I pulled out the dark jade thumb ring that represented absolute power in the Sterling family. I stood up. Facing the helicopter’s blinding searchlight, I held the ring up before Isabelle’s eyes. “Isabelle, open your eyes and look carefully at who you just threw out!”

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I downed a drink and my body started burning up. Someone must have drugged me. I stumbled around looking for my boyfriend Ethan Smith, but at the bar I overheard his conversation with someone else. “I don’t believe in ‘well-matched families’—I only believe in myself. Yara, I swear I’ll make you the future Mrs. Smith.” “As for Lila, after tonight, videos of her acting like a slut will spread all over the internet. From then on, I’ll have her wrapped around my finger.” Everything went black. This was the man I’d loved for three years. With nowhere else to turn, I shakily dialed my uncle Lucas Brown’s number. “Lucas, I’ve been drugged. I feel terrible…” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then his deep, magnetic voice came through. “Send me your location… Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you.” Under the dizzying lights, I was roughly shoved onto a soft couch. My head was spinning, my mouth was dry. It felt like a wildfire burning inside my body. Without thinking, I started tearing at the neckline of my dress, desperate for a breeze to cool my burning skin. I longed to press against someone’s cool skin to ease this unbearable heat. “Well, well, little slut, can’t wait anymore?” “I’ll take care of you right now…” A stranger’s voice exploded in my ear, instantly shocking me back to my senses. Something was wrong. I’d been drugged! Today was my twentieth birthday—who would want to destroy me like this?! A strange man pressed down on me, shamelessly tearing at my dress. I bit my lip hard until I tasted blood, which brought me a moment of clarity. Grabbing a bottle opener from the table, I used all my strength to smash it against his forehead! A muffled groan. The man clutched his head as blood seeped through his fingers. I shoved him away and fled, clutching my torn dress. Call the police? No—in my current state, they’d just think I was some girl whose hookup got out of hand. I’d never be able to explain. Go home? Even worse. It would only make my parents worry and break down. The drug’s effects were getting stronger. I steadied myself against the wall and staggered out of the bar. The cold air made me shiver, but the fire inside me burned even fiercer. Right now, I had only one option. My uncle Lucas, who’d just returned from a mission. Lucas’s place wasn’t far from here. He was Dad’s closest comrade-in-arms, ten years older than me. But… he’d just returned from an overseas mission. We hadn’t seen each other in almost a year. And he was such a disciplined man, filled with that steely military bearing. If he saw me like this… Behind me, Ethan’s cursing and footsteps faintly approached. He’d figured out my intentions from the private room. “Think you can run? Yara, quick, don’t let her get away! The phone’s still recording!” Yara—the girl I’d always thought was my best friend—sounded thrilled. I couldn’t worry about anything else. Gritting my teeth, I plunged into the night. With trembling hands, I pressed the doorbell. Almost instantly, the door opened. His unique scent hit me—clean and crisp like a pine forest after snow. I stood at the door, nervously watching the tall, imposing figure before me. After a year, Lucas’s features were even sharper than I remembered, devastatingly handsome with an aggressive edge. High nose bridge, thin lips pressed tight. The moment our eyes met, I couldn’t help but shudder. My blood ignited like gasoline, exploding with a rush. A tingling itch seeped through my entire body. Every inch of me felt like it was being gnawed by ants. I clutched at my damaged dress in agony. When I spoke, my voice was so soft it could drip water: “Lucas, I feel terrible, so hot…” Lucas, usually cold as an iceberg, stared at me intently. His dark pupils reflected my current disheveled state. Flushed face, misty eyes, clothes in disarray. Utterly… debauched. The door slammed shut. He pulled me into the room with one motion. The instant our skin touched, the cool sensation of his arm made me release a satisfied sigh. My strength drained away as I hung onto him. Instinctively, I nuzzled against him, desperately seeking that precious coolness. Outside the door, I heard Ethan’s pursuit: “Strange, where is she? I just saw her run into this building!” Lucas held me with one arm while picking up his phone with the other, his voice cold as ice: “Hello, police? Someone’s causing a disturbance in the military family residential area.” Up close, I could hear the suppressed tremor in his throat. After a few sentences, he hung up. Soon, sirens sounded below, and Ethan’s voice disappeared. The danger had passed. But I was still in Lucas’s arms, clutching the front of his combat uniform, burrowing into his embrace. Greedily absorbing his coolness. His toned waist from years of training held a fatal attraction. And lower… A suppressed groan. My hand was firmly pressed down by his burning palm.

My heart was racing. In an instant, everything spun. My dress fluttered. Lucas carried me to the bed with gentle, controlled movements, though his eyes looked like they wanted to devour me alive. He extended his slender hand, checking my forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently: “Lila, you’re burning up…” “Don’t move, I’ll get a thermometer!” I shook my head in discomfort. The drug’s effects left me unbearably restless. I could only plead with him tearfully: “Lucas…” “I… want… I need…” Lucas looked at me, his throat tight. His fingertips, calloused from years of handling weapons, touched my wrist. That rough texture made my heart itch. A moment later he released my hand, his breathing unstable as he leaned in close. His unique masculine scent flooded my nostrils, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. And I melted like spring water under his presence. “Lila, you’ve been drugged.” “What a massive dose!” “Don’t be afraid, I’ll buy medicine… otherwise it’ll cause permanent damage to your nervous system.” His hoarse voice entered my ears, stirring my desires. I had no mind for his words. All my attention was on his thin lips moving up and down. Pale in color, yet utterly tempting. Just a slight lift of my head, and I could kiss them. I swallowed, reaching my arms around Lucas’s neck. From his suddenly constricting pupils, I saw myself with hair cascading like a waterfall across the white pillow. Looking exactly like a little temptress. Completely different from my usual quiet, obedient self. When I spoke, my voice carried a seductive tone. “Lucas, I… want…” Lucas held my waist with one hand. His other hand caressed my face. Every movement made my heart tremble. His eyes were filled with desire too. “Lila, do you know who I am?” “I know, you’re Lucas.” “Good girl. Whatever you want, I’ll give you.” Morning light pierced through the curtain gaps, falling on my face. A hangover-like headache. Last night’s memories flooded back like a tide—fragmented yet crystal clear. Lucas’s burning body temperature, his suppressed gasps, and my shameless demands. My cheeks instantly burned. I sat up abruptly from the bed, nearly drowning in shame. The room was empty. The air still held traces of his crisp pine scent and the tobacco he’d smoked. He was gone. My heart felt inexplicably hollow. On the nightstand sat a glass of warm water and a packet of pills. A note was tucked underneath. Sharp handwriting with forceful strokes—his military bearing showed through. “Take the medicine when you wake up. Rest well.” On the chair back hung a brand-new dress and underwear, tags still attached. My face burned even hotter. I fled from Lucas’s place and returned to school. The moment I stepped through the campus gates, I sensed something was wrong. The surrounding gazes were like poisoned needles, densely piercing my body. Those whispers were like countless buzzing flies, drilling into my ears. “Look, that’s her. Lila.” “I heard she went wild at the bar last night, with several guys…” “Ethan really got unlucky—his girlfriend’s so shameless.”

My blood turned ice-cold, inch by inch. Ethan had moved faster and more ruthlessly than I’d imagined. I clenched my fists and quickened my pace, just wanting to get back to my dorm—my only refuge. But as soon as I reached the building, a crowd blocked my path. Leading them was Ethan. He had dark circles under his eyes, a conspicuous bandage on his forehead, looking haggard. Beside him, Yara was supporting him with a face full of concern. When she saw me, triumph flashed through her eyes. Ethan looked at me like I was something filthy, his eyes full of disgust and anguish. He pointed at me, his voice trembling with emotion, as if he were the victim. “Lila! How dare you show your face here?” The crowd exploded, all eyes focused on me. I watched his pathetic performance coldly. But he seemed wounded by my gaze. He stepped forward abruptly, screaming hysterically: “You spent last night screwing around with some random guy, and you have nothing to say?” “I loved you so much—is this how you treat me?” “I’ve already told the teacher. The school must severely punish a morally corrupt student like you!” Every sentence was like a poisoned dagger, precisely stabbing into my heart. The pointing and gossiping around me became a suffocating net. I felt cold all over, trembling with rage. This was the man I’d loved for three years—twisting facts, utterly shameless. Under everyone’s gaze, I actually calmed down. Facing his hypocritical expression, I curved my lips into an icy smile. “Oh? Really?” “Then let’s call the police.” The moment I spoke, the air seemed to freeze. Ethan’s face turned the color of liver, clearly not expecting this from me. The crowd’s whispers exploded like salt thrown into hot oil. “Call the police? She dares call the police?” “She’s guilty—trying to scare people with threats.” Just then, a middle-aged woman with glasses pushed through the crowd. It was our advisor. She looked at me with angry disappointment, her gaze severe. “Lila! Come with me to the office!” The teacher’s appearance was like a shot of adrenaline for Ethan. He immediately put on a heartbroken expression, pointing at me with a tearful voice. “Professor, you came just in time! I never imagined Lila was this kind of person. I’m… I’m so disappointed in her!” Yara beside him immediately chimed in, saying quietly to those around: “Ethan’s just too kind—that’s why she could deceive him so badly.” Working together, they nailed me to the pillar of shame. The teacher’s expression grew worse. She looked at me like I was hopeless trash. My heart sank inch by inch into an icy abyss. So this was what it felt like to be unable to defend yourself. Just as the invisible pressure was about to crush me, a voice as cold as ice cut through all the noise. “Who’s taking her away?” The crowd automatically parted. A tall figure walked toward us against the light, military boots making steady, powerful sounds on the ground. Each step seemed to land on everyone’s heart. It was Lucas. He wore a crisp military uniform, his shoulder insignia gleaming gold in the sunlight. That handsome, sharp face was covered with frost, his gaze like a blade sweeping across everyone present. The noisy crowd fell instantly silent. The smugness on Ethan’s face froze.

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I’m the daughter of Alpha James of the Moonridge pack. The Moonridge pack has a tradition—all of the Alpha’s descendants, regardless of gender, must conceal their identity and never reveal their family background. Only the first descendant to conceive a child earns the right to return home and become the Alpha’s heir. I was the first in the entire family to get pregnant. The moment I found out about the pregnancy, I was so excited that I ran home without even putting on my coat. With this child, I could finally stop hiding my current difficult life from my husband Ethan. And his struggling small company wouldn’t have to worry about next month’s rent anymore. But when I got home and pushed open the door, I found Ethan kissing another woman on the sofa. So the sudden painful feeling I had when approaching my front door came from Ethan’s betrayal. Ethan held his half-dressed first love Zoey and looked at me. “Zoey’s back. Let’s break our mate bond.” I shoved the pregnancy test back into my pocket. What he didn’t know was that his poor wife who had suffered alongside him had an unimaginably wealthy and powerful Alpha father behind her. Fine. I’ll keep the child and leave the father. Goodbye forever.

“Let’s get divorced first.” “The divorce papers are on the table. The pen’s right there too.” Ethan’s tone was flat. Zoey slowly straightened her clothes. Her neck was covered in intense kiss marks. She sat in my usual spot, glanced at me, and curved her lips slightly without saying anything. As if she were the lady of this house. I walked over and picked up the agreement. Three pages, densely written. The house goes to Ethan. Company shares go to Ethan. Savings go to Ethan. Car goes to Ethan. I get nothing. “I don’t get a single cent?” Ethan finally glanced at me. “The agreement mentions compensation—thirty thousand dollars. That’s not bad.” Thirty thousand. I’d been married to this man for three years. Ten thousand per year. Zoey set down her coffee cup. “Emily, with thirty thousand you can rent a decent studio.” I stared at her. “When did you get back?” “Yesterday.” Zoey tilted her head. “Ethan picked me up at the airport. He waited four hours—my flight was delayed.” Yesterday. Yesterday Ethan told me he had to work overtime at the company. Zoey stood up and walked to Ethan’s side, naturally hooking her arm through his. “Ethan said you’re a good person and won’t make things difficult for me.” Ethan didn’t pull away from her hand. My phone pressed against the pregnancy test in my pocket, digging painfully into my thigh. I’d planned to come home and tell him—Ethan, we’re having a baby. You won’t have to lose sleep over rent every month anymore. You won’t have to humble yourself drinking with clients until you get a bleeding ulcer. I thought today would be our best day. “Where’s the pen?” Ethan pointed at the coffee table. I crouched down to get the pen. From this angle, I could see Zoey’s hand resting on Ethan’s waist. As I opened the pen cap, the pregnancy test nearly slipped out of my pocket. I quickly pressed it back. “Sign on the last page. Write today’s date.” Ethan’s voice came from above. I signed my name. Emily. Put down the pen and stood up. “Fine. The agreement needs to go through the court to take effect.” “Tomorrow morning at nine. I’ll come find you. We’ll break the mate bond then too.” After Ethan finished speaking, he pulled out his phone and unlocked it right in front of me, opening his contacts. He changed my contact name from “My Dear Wife” to Emily. Then he closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. Zoey leaned on his shoulder. “Ethan, I want to eat your homemade pasta.” “Okay, I’ll make it right now.” Ethan actually turned and went into the kitchen. In three years, he’d never once cooked for me. I’d asked him if he knew how to cook. He said no, said he couldn’t even fry an egg without burning the pan. Now he tied his apron more smoothly than he tied his shoelaces. Zoey shrugged at me. “Emily, don’t just stand there. Hurry up and take what you need. Tomorrow I’m having people come redecorate. I looked at your clothes—they’re all pretty old. Don’t bother taking them. They’re not even good enough to use as rags.” I went back to the bedroom and grabbed my important documents and a cloth bag containing a few things I’d brought from home when I got married. Nothing related to Ethan. On my way out, I passed the kitchen. Ethan was cutting tomatoes, the knife thudding on the cutting board. He didn’t look up. At the door putting on my shoes, Zoey followed and leaned against the doorframe. “Emily, I don’t know if I should say this.” “Go ahead.” “Ethan never sighed when he was with me. In these three years with you, I’ve heard him sigh many times on the phone.” She lowered her head, her voice soft. “Maybe you two really aren’t compatible.” I looked at her. Ethan sighed because of broken capital chains, lost clients, the company nearly going under. Every crisis was one I carried him through behind the scenes. After he sighed, by the next morning when he woke up, the problem would be solved. He thought it was good luck. “You’re right.” I bent down to tie my shoelaces. “We’re not compatible.” The moment the door closed, Zoey’s voice came from inside. “Ethan, let’s change the door code. I want to set it to the anniversary of our first time having sex.”

I moved into a studio near the university that rented for three hundred dollars a month. Next door was a restaurant. Cooking fumes seeped in through the window cracks. I sat on the hard bed and stared at the pregnancy test for a long time. The two lines were piercingly clear. My phone rang. Ethan. “Emily, you haven’t canceled the company’s secondary card yet.” “I’ll do it when we go to court tomorrow.” “Okay.” Just as I was about to hang up, Zoey’s voice came from his end. “Ethan, does she still have the company access card? I saw one in her bag last time.” Ethan paused. “Bring the access card too.” “Anything else?” “That’s all for now.” He hung up. The phone screen was still lit, the chat background still showing the coffee photo from the day Ethan and I started dating, with our two silhouettes making heart shapes beside it. Ethan and I first met at a coffee shop. I was working as a barista at the coffee shop. Ethan came in to order, and the moment our eyes met, we realized we were each other’s fated mates. We fell in love at first sight. In the following days, Ethan kept coming to the coffee shop where I worked to buy coffee. When I wasn’t there, he’d look disappointed. Back then, I was also secretly watching him with his sincere eyes. So within a few days, Ethan and I got together. After we got married, Ethan started his business. He said he would definitely give me a good life. But now it seemed those vows were completely unreliable. And Ethan had no idea just how wealthy my family really was. He only knew that his wife worked as a barista at a coffee shop, earning three thousand dollars a month. For three years of marriage, I’d maintained this persona. Early the next morning, Ethan’s mother Lily called. “Emily, are you done packing?” “I’m packing.” “Don’t bother with those clothes of yours—they weren’t anything good to begin with. Also, those pickles you used to make at home—Zoey says they taste pretty good and wants the recipe.” I’d made pickles for three years. Ethan ate them every day. My mother-in-law had never once complimented them. “I’m not giving it.” “What kind of person are you?” Lily’s tone immediately changed. “You’re already divorced and you’re still being petty. Do you know who Zoey is? Her asking for your pickle recipe is doing you a favor.” “What kind of person is she?” “Zoey’s parents run an international trading company. Do you think everyone’s like you making coffee at a coffee shop?” Lily lowered her voice. “Emily, I’ll be honest with you. I was never really satisfied when I let Ethan marry you. You’ve been diligent these three years, but people climb upward. Ethan’s company is slowly taking off now, and you can’t keep up.” “Zoey is Ethan’s first love. They were always a perfect match. She came back from abroad. Don’t get in the way.” Last year, Ethan nearly went bankrupt over a bad debt and couldn’t even pay his employees’ salaries. That month, I used my dad’s connections to recover that bad debt. Ethan thought the other party had a change of heart and voluntarily repaid. He was so happy when he came home that day. He hugged me and said, “Honey, we’re so lucky.” “I’m not giving the pickle recipe. Is there anything else you need to ask?” Lily hung up angrily. Half an hour later, Ethan sent a message: My mom says your attitude was bad. We’re already breaking the mate bond. Don’t make this uglier than it needs to be. I didn’t reply. I turned my phone face down on the bed and touched my belly. In three months my belly would start showing. By then I’d return home and take my place as the Alpha’s heir—the only descendant who successfully conceived. Ethan’s painstakingly managed company was worth three million. In the Moonridge pack, that didn’t even rank. I was about to break the mate bond with Ethan soon. I was afraid the rejection would affect the baby in my belly, so I used my family’s connections to find a witch who had a good relationship with my dad and got a potion from her that would prevent harm to the fetus during rejection. The next day, Ethan and I registered our divorce at the hospital and broke our mate bond. Afterward, I went to the hospital to register for prenatal care. While waiting after registration, my phone rang again. Zoey, calling from Ethan’s phone. “Emily, sorry to bother you. I found a bottle of folic acid in your old bedroom. I wanted to ask if it’s yours or if it was left in the house from before?” Folic acid. That was what I’d been taking while trying to conceive. I gripped my phone tightly. “Throw it away. It’s expired.” “Okay. By the way, Ethan asked me to ask you—when will you cancel the secondary card?” “Tomorrow.” “Great, bye.” She hung up. My hand was trembling. Not from anger, but from fear. Zoey found the folic acid. “Will she guess something?” I stared at my phone, talking to myself. No one answered.

The day my prenatal checkup results came out, I sat on a bench in the hospital hallway in a daze. The doctor said everything was normal. The baby was healthy. I needed to pay attention to nutrition and rest. The baby is healthy. I repeated those words three times. “Emily?” I looked up. Zoey stood at the end of the hallway holding a bag of fruit. She smiled and walked over. “What a coincidence. You came to this hospital too?” “What are you doing here?” “Visiting a friend.” She sat down next to me and casually glanced at my hands. I turned the prenatal report face down, but her eyes had already caught something. “Obstetrics?” Zoey’s tone changed, no longer that sweet enthusiasm. She stared straight at my face. “Emily, don’t tell me you’re…” “It’s none of your business.” “Pregnant?” I stood up. “Zoey, this isn’t your concern.” “Of course it’s my concern.” She also stood up. “If it’s Ethan’s child, then it is my business.” People were coming and going in the hallway. She lowered her voice and moved closer to me. “Emily, are you planning to hide this from everyone and have the baby? And then what—use the child to threaten Ethan?” “I don’t need to threaten anyone.” “But Ethan won’t want this child.” Zoey’s tone was matter-of-fact. “He said his children need to be born into a complete family. The family he chose doesn’t include you.” “He told you that?” “He tells me everything.” Zoey pulled out her phone and played a voice message. Ethan’s voice came from the phone: Zoey, after we get through this busy period, we’ll have a proper wedding. We’ll figure out the rest later. Just settle in for now. “Did you hear that? He’s already planning our wedding. If you run out now with a baby, everyone will just think you’re being clingy.” I took a deep breath. Zoey watched my reaction, seeming to confirm something. “Emily, I have a suggestion. Go find a witch, terminate the pregnancy, and we’ll all go our separate ways. I won’t tell Ethan, and I won’t tell anyone.” “Or what?” “Or I’ll tell him. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out?” She pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it to me. “What’s this?” “Open it and see.” Inside the envelope was an ultrasound report with Zoey’s name at the top, dated two weeks ago. It clearly stated: Intrauterine early pregnancy, 7 weeks. “I’m pregnant too.” Zoey put away her smile and looked at me seriously. “Ethan already knows. He’s thrilled. He bought a ton of pregnancy supplies.” “So do you understand now? His first child can only be born from me.” I stared at that ultrasound report. Seven weeks pregnant. Zoey just returned to the country yesterday. Seven weeks ago she was abroad. This ultrasound report had the stamp of our pack’s maternity hospital. The timeline didn’t match. But I didn’t say anything. Now wasn’t the time to expose her. “Think about it.” Zoey patted my shoulder. “Before things get out of hand.” She turned and left. I clutched that ultrasound report. You say you’re pregnant too. Seven weeks ago you were abroad, but your ultrasound has the Moonridge pack’s stamp. “Zoey, what exactly are you?”

The next day at ten in the morning, Ethan appeared at the door of my rented studio. “I know.” He stood outside, his expression complex—not quite angry, more like a condescending helplessness. “Know what?” “About your pregnancy. Zoey told me.” She didn’t keep her promise after all. Ethan walked in and looked around the room—less than a hundred square feet—and frowned. “Emily, what are you planning to do with this child?” “Have it.” “Have it and then what?” His voice rose slightly. “You make three thousand a month. You can barely support yourself.” “You don’t need to worry about my business.” “I’m worried about my own business.” Ethan sat on the only plastic chair, hands clasped together. “Zoey’s pregnant too. You know that, right? She’s earlier than you—already seven weeks.” “She showed me the ultrasound report.” “Right.” Ethan nodded. “I’ll be direct. My first child should be with Zoey. Yours isn’t appropriate.” “Ethan, are you sure you want me to abort your child?” “We’re already divorced. Even if this child is born, it’ll be a single-parent family. That’s not good for anyone.” He stood up. “Terminate it. I’ll pay for the procedure and recovery costs. Is fifty thousand enough?” The door was pushed open from outside. Lily. She walked in carrying a plastic bag and looked around. “This is where you’re living?” Lily set the plastic bag on the table. “There’s twenty thousand dollars in there for the abortion. With Ethan’s thirty thousand, that’s fifty total. Enough for you to start fresh.” “I said I’m keeping the child.” Lily’s face darkened. “Emily, don’t be ungrateful. You know what Zoey’s family is like. She’s Ethan’s legitimate wife. You’re carrying a bastard…” “This isn’t a bastard. It’s Ethan’s child.” “If my son doesn’t acknowledge it, then it isn’t.” Lily’s voice got louder. “Do you think having a baby means you can cling to our family?” Ethan didn’t stop his mother. He leaned against the wall looking at his phone. “Emily, I’ll say this one last time.” Ethan didn’t look up. “Terminate the pregnancy and we’ll part on good terms. If you don’t, I’ll go to court and request a paternity test to fight for custody. I have a house and a company. You have nothing. The court will award me the child.” “And then I’ll give the child to Zoey to raise.” Let Zoey raise my child. That sentence was like a knife, stabbing in precisely. Lily pushed me. “Did you hear that? Don’t think pregnancy gives you leverage. You’re nothing in front of us.” Ethan’s phone screen lit up. A message from Zoey popped up. I caught a glimpse of the text: [Ethan, did you handle it? I bought your favorite cheesecake.] Ethan replied, locked the screen, looked up at me, waiting for my answer. Lily stood to the side with her arms crossed, like a supervisor. I touched my belly. This child would be the next Alpha heir of Moonridge pack after me. The child the entire pack had waited over a decade for. Ethan wanted to fight for custody? He had no idea who he was challenging. I pulled out my phone and found a number I hadn’t called in three years. I dialed. It was answered after one ring. “Dad, come get me. I’m pregnant.” Ethan and Lily both looked at me. My dad’s voice came through the phone—calm, but every word carried undeniable weight. “Give me twenty minutes.” He hung up. Ethan frowned. “Who did you call?” “My dad.” Lily scoffed. “Your dad? Didn’t you say your dad was farming in the countryside? You’re calling some old farmer to back you up?” I put my phone back in my pocket. “Ethan, you just said you’d fight for custody.” “Right.” “Fine. Then wait.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “395281”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

When I got home and pulled back the covers, I found seven used condoms scattered across the bedsheet. At the bedside, my husband Ethan Hart gave an awkward laugh. “If I told you I used these while masturbating, would you believe me?” Suddenly, the closet door opened, and a woman tumbled out, falling to the floor. She wore only Ethan’s white dress shirt, her body covered in dark red kiss marks. She gave an awkward laugh too. “Aria, if I told you I was here to clean, would you believe me?” I also gave an awkward laugh, though my face was deathly pale. “And if I said I don’t believe you?” Aria POV When I returned to our marital home, Sofia was already asleep in the master bedroom. My master bedroom with Ethan. She was wearing my nightgown and my slippers. The bedside lamp was dimmed to her liking. Ethan stood at the bathroom door, a warm towel in his hands, ready to give it to her. This was the same apartment where Ethan had once pressed the keys into my palm. “Now you have a place that’s yours,” he said. Now, he let another woman lie in my bed, then turned to me and said, “Sleep in the guest room tonight.” I stood in the doorway, still holding work materials I’d just brought back from out of town. A pair of women’s shoes sat by the entrance. In the shoe cabinet, my shoes had been pushed to the very edge. A shawl that wasn’t mine draped over the living room sofa. I took it all in as I walked through, finally seeing Sofia sitting on the bed’s edge, adjusting the hem of the nightgown as if making sure I could clearly see whose things these were. “Aria, don’t misunderstand.” Sofia spoke first, her voice so soft it seemed she’d suffered some great injustice. “I really didn’t dare sleep alone tonight. Ethan was worried something might happen to me, so he let me rest here first.” Yet as she spoke, she made no move to get up from the bed. I looked at Ethan. Ethan didn’t explain the nightgown or the slippers. He placed the warm towel on the nightstand, his brow slightly furrowed. ” Sofia’s not doing well tonight. She’s familiar with the master bedroom lamp, so sleeping here will help her feel more secure.” I said nothing. Ethan continued. “Years ago, because of me, she got trapped in an old building during a power outage for an entire night. You know she’s afraid of the dark and being alone. Tonight’s situation is special, so just sleep in the guest room for one night.” Sofia lowered her head, fingers gripping the corner of the comforter. “Maybe I should just leave. I’m afraid Aria won’t be happy.” She said she’d leave, but her body leaned against the bed, her feet showing no sign of wanting to remove the slippers. Ethan immediately looked at me. I knew that look well. This past month, whenever Sofia said she was scared, he’d look at me exactly like this. I pulled my materials closer to my chest and nodded. “Understood.” Ethan actually froze. He seemed to have prepared many words. Ready to explain how pitiful Sofia was, ready to say he was just temporarily taking care of her, ready to tell me not to overthink it. But I didn’t ask. I turned and went to the guest room. The guest room hadn’t been occupied in a long time. The closet only held spare bedding, the window frame hadn’t been fixed, and it was cold when the night wind seeped through. I placed my materials on the nightstand and bent down to take out the comforter from the closet. The first time I moved into this apartment, Ethan had also given me the master bedroom. Back then, I’d just severed ties with my family and stood downstairs with my luggage, not even daring to go up in the elevator. Ethan pressed the house keys into my hand and said, “Don’t stand outside waiting for permission anymore. You have a place here too.” That night he slept on the couch. From that day on, I started treating this place as home. Now the master bedroom door was closed. Inside, I could hear Ethan’s lowered voice coaxing Sofia. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” “The lamp’s already brighter.” “Sleep now, I won’t leave.” I closed the guest room door too. In the middle of the night, Sofia called for Ethan again from the master bedroom. She complained the bedside lamp was too dim, that the curtain gaps looked like dark shadows seeping in from the old building, that the pillow was too high and made her feel she couldn’t breathe. Ethan responded to her. The sound of footsteps in the hallway kept reaching my ears. I lay in the guest room, waves of pain washing through my stomach. I pulled out my pill box and swallowed painkillers with half a glass of cold water. The tablet stuck in my throat, the bitter taste taking a long time to go down. Before long, someone knocked twice on the guest room door. “Aria.” Ethan stood outside. “Are you asleep?” I leaned against the headboard, a layer of cold sweat on my forehead. I didn’t open the door, only said, “I’m asleep.” Silence outside for a few seconds. Ethan’s voice lowered. “Are you upset?” From the master bedroom, Sofia called softly again. “Ethan…” Ethan immediately turned back. I heard his footsteps fade away. He finally just tossed out one sentence through the door. “Get some rest.” I only fell asleep as dawn approached. When I woke again, the master bedroom door was half open. Sofia still slept inside while Ethan sat at the bedside looking at his phone, warm water and medicine beside him. Sofia turned over, and Ethan immediately put down his phone, leaning in to ask where she felt uncomfortable. I didn’t go in. I gathered my materials in the living room when my phone suddenly lit up. The person in charge of the old town project sent a confirmation email, asking if I was certain about accepting the two-year old residence restoration project. The early phase required closed access to the site, with long-term stationing afterward, making frequent returns to my current city impossible. I looked at it for a long time. In the master bedroom, Sofia’s voice was hoarse. “Ethan, am I causing you trouble again?” Ethan said, “No, don’t overthink it.” I lowered my head and opened the reply box. I typed only one sentence: “Confirmed.” After sending the message, I put the project materials in my bag, pressing my ID documents at the very bottom. The sound of the zipper closing was soft. Neither of the two people in the master bedroom looked back.

Aria POV As a child, the phrase I feared most was: This isn’t your home. I’d lived in other people’s smallest rooms and in rental units where the locks changed once a year. Later in the dorms, I still didn’t dare fill the space with my belongings. I feared I’d have to leave soon. I was always the one who needed something from others. I couldn’t even decide where to put my own cup. Then Ethan gave me keys. He let me have the master bedroom and cleared out half the walk-in closet. The lamp in the living room was my choice. The spot I usually sat at the dining table was one Ethan had personally made space for. He’d complain I was troublesome, yet always let people arrange things my way. I decorated this apartment bit by bit to make it feel like home. I thought I’d finally never be pushed outside again. In the first month after Sofia returned, Ethan said she was only staying temporarily for a few days. Sofia had just ended a failed relationship and had the trauma from that old building power outage years ago. Whenever her emotions broke down, she’d call Ethan. That incident happened when she and Ethan were still together. Ethan had canceled on her last minute, and Sofia waited for him alone. Later she got trapped in that old building all night. All the lights went out, the stairwell door wouldn’t open, and she cried until dawn before anyone found her. Since then, she’d been afraid of the dark, afraid of enclosed spaces, and afraid of Ethan not answering her calls. Every time she brought up these things, Ethan would fall silent. Initially, I agreed to let her move in. I thought she’d only stay a few days. But I discovered her belongings were invading my space. The next morning at breakfast, Sofia still wore my nightgown as she sat at the dining table. She picked up the milk, took only one sip, then put it down. “Ethan, the pillow in the master bedroom was too hard last night. It made my neck hurt. And that scent in the bathroom isn’t nice. It always reminds me of the old building.” Ethan’s movements paused as he looked at me. I put down my fork. “What would you like to change?” Sofia froze, then smiled. “Aria, thank you for understanding. Can I put my usual things in the master bathroom first? Also, can I put my own clothes in the master bedroom closet? It’s inconvenient fetching clothes every day. Could you clear out some space for me?” Ethan frowned. “Sofia, you’re only staying temporarily.” Sofia’s eyes immediately reddened. She lowered her head, gripping her spoon, her voice trembling. “I know. I shouldn’t have brought this up. Last night, every time I closed my eyes, I was back in that old building. I just want to sleep soundly.” After speaking, she stood up to leave. “I’ll move out today. It’s all my fault for causing you both trouble.” The chair made a soft sound as she pushed it back. Ethan’s expression changed. “No one’s asking you to move.” Sofia stopped, tears hanging at the corners of her eyes. Ethan looked at me. “Clear out some of the less-used items in the closet and make a temporary spot for her.” I nodded. “Okay.” This time Ethan looked at me again. His gaze held both testing and discomfort. After all, in the past, if I asked even one extra question about Sofia, he’d think me petty. Now that I wasn’t asking anything, he seemed almost stuck instead. I went back to the walk-in closet and took down my clothes from the master bedroom area. I didn’t just take old clothes. The clothes I’d acquired over these years with Ethan, I packed them all in boxes too. At the very back of the closet was a set of loungewear Ethan had bought me. That year I had a fever but still wanted to go to the office. Ethan pressed me back into bed, had his assistant send the files home, and stayed with me half the day. Later he noticed the cuffs on my pajamas were frayed. He said nothing, but the next day had new loungewear delivered. Back then, I truly believed Ethan cared about me. Downstairs, Sofia, wearing my nightgown, was asking the housekeeper which shelf in the master bathroom she could use for her things. I carefully folded that loungewear set and placed it at the very bottom of the box. I didn’t cry or throw anything. I just pushed the box into a corner of the guest room. When Ethan came in and saw the box by the wall, his steps paused. “Why did you pack away so many clothes?” I was organizing project materials and didn’t look up. “The master bedroom needs more space, so I packed them all away.” “If you have an issue with Sofia moving in, you can say so directly.” I looked up at him. Ethan frowned at my gaze, his tone hardening. “Her situation is special. You know full well she ended up like this because of me. Don’t read too much into it.” “I know.” I put the project contract in a document folder. “She’s been through trauma. She should have better accommodations.” Ethan fell silent. He seemed unwilling to have me agree with him so readily. I fastened the document folder and reminded him. “Sofia’s still waiting for you downstairs.” After those words, Ethan’s expression completely darkened. That evening, the project manager sent me a materials checklist. Starting next week, I’d head to the stationed location and needed to visit the old town site in advance. I stuffed my ID into my bag and put the project contract in the outermost pocket. I went to find an old design drawing in the master bedroom. Passing the master bedroom door, I heard Sofia inside asking, “Will Aria mind me staying here?” Ethan paused. Then he said, “She’ll understand. She won’t make a fuss over something like this.” I stood outside the door, my hand still on the doorknob. A few seconds later, I released it. I didn’t retrieve the old design drawing. I returned to the guest room, opened my phone, and purchased a ticket to the old town. Seven in the morning. Purchase successful.

Aria POV After Sofia moved in, the apartment no longer felt like my home. Her cup appeared on the dining table, her toiletries in the master bathroom, and even the throw pillows on the living room sofa had been replaced. I used to tidy up every day by habit. Now I only glanced at things as I passed. I stopped organizing those items and stopped asking questions. When Ethan came home, he finally noticed the changes in the living room and asked, “Why were these things changed?” Sofia immediately put down her cup, her eyes reddening first. “Did I cause trouble again? I just felt the original colors were too dark. They reminded me of the old building. If Aria doesn’t like it, I’ll have someone change everything back right away.” I immediately said, “No need. Keep what you like.” Ethan looked at me, his brow furrowing deeper. That afternoon, Sofia directly invited several mutual friends to the apartment. She didn’t ask me or Ethan. When the housekeeper brought out desserts, she sat in the living room greeting friends, as if she’d always been in charge of this home. When a friend entered and saw her in loungewear, then noticed her coming down from the master bedroom direction, someone quickly teased her. “Sofia, you act way too much like you’re in your own home, don’t you?” Sofia smiled, pressing her lips together, but her gaze drifted toward the stairs. I happened to be coming down with project materials. All eyes in the living room suddenly fell on me. Sofia seemed to just notice me and quickly explained. “Aria, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only staying temporarily for a few days. Ethan was afraid I’d be scared alone at night, so he insisted I stay in the master bedroom.” She stressed the words “master bedroom” just lightly enough for everyone to hear. Someone laughed awkwardly. “Aria’s really generous. Anyone else would’ve made a scene by now.” I didn’t expose her scheme or explain who was actually staying in the master bedroom. I put my materials in my bag and only said to Sofia, “These are your guests. You entertain them properly.” Then I turned and went upstairs. Ethan entered through the front door just in time to hear those words. His expression darkened. He called Sofia aside, lowering his voice. “Who told you to bring people into this house?” Sofia’s tears fell quickly. “I just hadn’t seen friends in so long. I wanted them to know I’m not doing as badly as they think. Is Aria upset? Then I’ll move out right now.” She brought up the old building again. She said living alone made her lose sleep. She said last night when she closed her eyes, the darkness still pressed down so she couldn’t breathe. Ethan irritably pinched the bridge of his nose but didn’t mention kicking her out again. I stood at the stair landing, listening to everything, but didn’t go down. My phone lit up. The project manager asked if I could go to the old town earlier to check the site. I replied directly: “I’ll go tomorrow.” That evening, Ethan knocked on my door holding a restaurant reservation. “Let’s go out for dinner tomorrow night.” He said, “Things have been chaotic at home lately. I want to have a proper talk with you.” I looked at the reservation and nodded. I didn’t tell him the seven o’clock morning ticket had already been issued. That night, Sofia called for me again at the master bedroom door. “Aria, I think I left my medicine in the bathroom cabinet.” Sofia leaned against the doorframe, her face pale. “I don’t dare go in alone. If something happens to me, Ethan will worry.” I said nothing but eventually entered the master bathroom. The floor was wet. The aromatherapy bottle sat at the edge of the sink. Just as I bent down to pull open the cabinet, Sofia suddenly rushed in from behind, her whole body colliding into me. My lower back hit the sink, my arm sweeping the aromatherapy bottle. Glass shards exploded, cutting my skin. Sofia screamed and tumbled right into Ethan’s arms as he rushed in. Ethan’s first reaction was to steady her. “Are you hurt?” Sofia clutched his arm, crying and trembling. “I just wanted to get my medicine. I didn’t know Aria was also in there…” I steadied myself against the sink, blood from my arm dripping down my fingertips. Only then did Ethan see me. His expression changed.

Aria POV Just after dawn, I left the apartment with a small suitcase. I didn’t call Ethan or say goodbye at the master bedroom. The master bedroom door was half open, Sofia still sleeping inside. Ethan sat by the bed watching over her, pulling the covers up over her. As I passed the doorway, he didn’t look up. I put the ticket in my bag. The wound on my arm had been simply treated, my lower back still aching. I walked slowly but didn’t stop. Around noon, Ethan seemed to notice I’d left. I received a call from him. When the call connected, I was already on the train. Ethan’s voice held suppressed anger. “Where did you go?” “The old town.” I leaned against the train window. “The project moved up. I came to see the site first.” “What about your arm and lower back?” “Already treated.” “You went out of town alone with injuries?” Ethan’s tone grew heavier. “Come back right now. I’ll pick you up.” The sound of a door opening came from the master bedroom. Sofia’s voice sounded weak. “Ethan, I woke up and didn’t see you… I had another nightmare.” Ethan’s breathing hitched. I heard it. I spoke first. “Take care of her. You don’t need to come find me.” After speaking, I hung up and put my phone on silent. That afternoon, I arrived in the old town. The project manager took me to the restoration site. Police tape surrounded the courtyard, the old walls already showing reinforcement marks, staff moving materials. The manager said, “We’ll be here at least two months in the early phase. If you sign a long-term contract later, you won’t be able to go home often. You can still back out now.” I looked at the old residence before me, my arm throbbing faintly. I said, “I won’t back out.” The manager noticed my bandaged arm and saw I walked somewhat unnaturally. “Do you need to go to the hospital first?” “No need.” I set down my bag. “Let’s do registration first.” When the registration form was handed to me, the staff member pointed to the emergency contact field. “It’s best to fill in family here. The site has risks. If something really happens to you, we need to contact someone responsible immediately.” I held the pen and paused. The staff reminded me again. “A spouse works too.” I didn’t write Ethan’s name. I filled in the project office phone number in that field. The staff glanced at it. “You’re sure you won’t fill in family?” “I’m sure.” I handed back the form and received the housing keys. That evening, I received another call from Ethan. I’d just gotten the housing keys and was organizing materials in my room. Ethan opened with, “The master bedroom has been dealt with. What happened last night won’t happen again. Come back tomorrow and let’s talk things through.” I looked at the keys in my hand. “I just joined the team here. I can’t come back in the short term.” “That’s not where you belong long-term.” Ethan’s voice hardened. “Home is.” I placed the housing keys on the table. “I’ll be staying at the project site for this period.” Silence on the other end. Sofia’s voice came through again. “Ethan, could you come look? I don’t know where to put the new things.” I didn’t wait for Ethan to respond. I ended the call and closed the door. The keys remained on the table. The sound of the lock falling echoed clearly in the empty room.

Aria POV I returned to the apartment the next day to get that old design drawing from the study. I’d originally planned to grab it and leave, but when my car reached the station, Ethan’s driver was already waiting. The driver opened the car door for me, saying quietly, “Mr. Hart asked me to bring you home.” I didn’t make things difficult for the driver and bent down to get in. Ethan sat inside the car. Seeing the gauze on my arm and how my lower back stiffened when I sat down, his expression immediately darkened. “Injured this badly, and you still want to leave home?” I looked out the window. “I need to submit the old design drawing to the project team.” Anger threaded through Ethan’s voice. “Let’s go eat first. I still have last night’s restaurant reservation.” I didn’t refuse. I knew Ethan wanted to turn the master bedroom and bathroom incident into a small conflict that could be resolved over one meal. The car didn’t go directly to the restaurant. Ethan brought me back to the apartment first. “Sofia’s not here today,” he said. “Take your time packing things. No rush.” I entered the master bedroom and my steps halted. Things here had been changed. The spot in the bathroom that used to belong to me was cleared out, Sofia’s frequently used items displayed in the most prominent places. A section of the walk-in closet had also been emptied, hung with Sofia’s clothes. Ethan stood behind me. “This is just a temporary arrangement. She’ll move out once her condition stabilizes.” I nodded, walked to the drawer, and took out the old design drawing. I didn’t touch the bed or the closet. Ethan frowned. “You really don’t mind at all?” I put the old design drawing in a document folder. “Since it’s already been changed, let her use it.” Ethan was about to speak when the doorbell rang downstairs. Sofia entered with several mutual friends. Seeing me, she froze for a moment, then quickly smiled. “Aria’s here too? I just invited friends over to visit. I didn’t expect you’d be back today.” As she spoke, she’d already naturally had the housekeeper serve coffee to the friends. The friends saw her enter the master bedroom with familiarity, and someone soon laughed. “Sofia, you’re way too familiar with this place.” Sofia lowered her head with a smile. “I haven’t been doing well lately. Ethan didn’t feel comfortable with me living alone, so he let me stay here for a few days. At night I’m afraid of the dark, so he comes to check on me too.” Those friends’ gazes landed on my face. Someone immediately said, “Aria’s so gentle, not even minding something like this.” I didn’t explain that I was the actual owner of this place. I simply yielded the living room, saying to Sofia, “These are your guests. Entertain them well.” Ethan stood at the doorway, his expression already very dark. He called Sofia aside. “Have them leave immediately.” Sofia’s eyes reddened. “I just wanted them to know I’m not suffering alone. If you make them leave now, what will they think of me?” Ethan’s voice grew colder. “This isn’t your home.” Sofia seemed pierced by those words, her face going white instantly. “I know.” She said quietly, “Then I’ll just move out. Anyway, if I go back alone, no one will care about me at night.” Ethan fell silent. I’d heard their conversation. But I simply put the document folder in my bag, preparing to leave. Ethan followed me to the door. “The restaurant’s already booked.” I glanced at the living room. “You don’t have time right now.” “I can leave with you.” Sofia immediately stood up, her face pale. “Ethan, you’re leaving now? They’re all here. I was already embarrassed enough just now.” A friend also tried to lighten the mood. “Yeah, don’t make things so awkward.” Ethan’s steps stopped in place. I spoke first. “Restaurants are available anytime. I have things to do, so I’m leaving first.” After speaking, I had the driver take me to the station. As the car left the complex, the project manager sent the long-term housing contract. I opened it and looked for a long time. Ethan’s message also popped up at that moment. He said Sofia was just emotionally unstable, told me not to misunderstand, and said he’d handle it later. I didn’t reply. I signed the contract. A few seconds later, the project manager sent official notification: “Report for duty in five days.” I put down my phone. Outside the car window was the city I’d lived in for many years. I didn’t look back toward the apartment.

Aria POV I returned to the apartment a third time. This was my last trip back to retrieve physical materials. Home furnishing company workers were going in and out of the master bedroom, movers carrying cabinet panels, another person supporting a mirror coming out of the walk-in closet. Sofia sat on the bed’s edge, directing the housekeeper to send her clothes inside. She smiled smugly. “Aria, don’t overthink it. I’m only staying temporarily. If things are messy I can’t sleep well, so Ethan had people adjust things slightly.” I looked at Ethan. Ethan avoided my gaze. “I’m just redistributing the space. I won’t touch your important items.” I said nothing and went directly to the study. After retrieving my materials and preparing to leave, Sofia stopped me. “There’s a box of your things in the closet. I don’t know where to put it. You should check it yourself.” I didn’t turn back. “Put it in the guest room.” Sofia’s voice immediately lowered. “I don’t dare move your things carelessly. Last time with the bathroom incident you already got hurt. I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong again this time.” Ethan looked at me. He wanted me to go in and take a look, to end this matter. I eventually still entered the walk-in closet. Inside was no longer the familiar layout I knew. My frequently used spot had been moved to the very back, several old pieces of clothing packed in a box with a temporary label stuck beside it. Old items Ethan once wouldn’t let anyone touch now lay piled on the floor, waiting to make space for Sofia. Ethan walked in, his expression finally darkening. “Stop.” He told the workers. Sofia immediately looked at him. Ethan said coldly, “This was originally Aria’s space. It shouldn’t be changed like this.” Sofia’s tears fell quickly. “I didn’t know these things were so important to Aria. If she’s uncomfortable, I’ll move out right now.” Ethan didn’t immediately comfort her, only saying, “You go out first.” Sofia stood without moving, tears streaming down continuously. “I’ve only been able to sleep well these past few days. Turns out me staying here still makes all of you this miserable.” I suddenly spoke. “Don’t stop.” Ethan looked at me. I walked over and picked up the box of old items. “I was going to take my things anyway.” Ethan reached out to stop me. I went around him. The workers prepared to move the tall cabinet beside them. Sofia stood next to the cabinet and suddenly called out softly, “Ethan, I feel a bit dizzy.” Ethan looked over immediately. I passed by carrying the box. Sofia fell toward Ethan, her elbow hitting the edge of the tall cabinet. The cabinet hadn’t been properly secured, and with this collision, it tilted outward along with the mirror. Ethan barely hesitated before reaching out to shield Sofia behind him. I stood on the other side, no time to dodge. The cabinet corner struck hard against my shoulder and back, mirror fragments slicing across my arm as I fell to the ground. The box opened, old items scattering everywhere. That old keychain also rolled out, landing beside the broken mirror. The scene descended into chaos. Sofia was protected in Ethan’s arms, crying and asking, “Ethan, are you hurt?” Only then did Ethan see me on the ground. His expression changed. He released Sofia and quickly crouched down. “Aria!” I braced myself against the floor to sit up, avoiding his hand. My arm still bled, my shoulder and back hurt so much I couldn’t lift them, yet I first picked up the old keychain and put it in my pocket. Seeing that keychain, Ethan’s movements stopped. That was what I’d attached when he gave me the first house key years ago. Ethan’s voice sounded. “I’ll take you to the hospital.” But Sofia sat down nearby, clutching her chest. “Ethan, I can’t quite catch my breath. I might have been scared just now.” Ethan’s steps halted. I saw it. I pressed my wound and stood up. “You take care of her first. I’ll go by myself.” Anger threaded through Ethan’s voice. “You’re injured this badly and you’re still pushing me away?” I looked at him. “She needs you more right now.” Sofia called for him softly again. I’d already walked out of the closet and called my own car. I went to the hospital alone. After the doctor treated my wound and examined my shoulder and back, he reminded me not to carry heavy objects recently. When I came out with the medical record, the project manager called, asking if I could report on time in five days. I glanced at my bandaged arm. “Yes.” Ethan’s call came through at that moment. I didn’t answer. I put the medical record in my bag and went to the project team. The project manager told me the housing room had been cleared and I could move in early anytime. I nodded. “Then I’ll move in early.”

Aria POV I moved into the old town project housing early. The room wasn’t large. Just a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. The door card was in my own hand, and the registration form had only my name on it. I placed project materials on the table and pushed my suitcase against the wall. The suitcase didn’t hold much. A few commonly worn clothes, two contracts, and the old design drawing I’d brought from the apartment. The jewelry and evening gowns Ethan had given me, I didn’t take a single piece. When the project manager took me to the site and saw my arm still wrapped in gauze, he asked, “Is your body holding up okay?” I hung the work badge around my neck. “I’m fine.” When Ethan found me here, I was verifying restoration materials with project personnel. I stood among the crowd, my arm not raised high, my shoulder and back still aching, yet I could already clearly communicate every issue with people. When I finished communicating, Ethan walked over. “I want to talk to you.” I didn’t avoid him. I followed him outside the courtyard. Anger threaded through Ethan’s voice. “Why did you suddenly move here? Because I protected Sofia first that day?” I looked at him. “The project started early. I joined the team per contract.” “You’re injured, living alone in a place like this, is that appropriate?” “The project has safety procedures.” “Who did you put as emergency contact?” I paused. “Not you.” Ethan’s expression changed. “Aria Winters, we haven’t separated yet. If something happens to you, the project team can only contact me.” “You won’t need to be bothered with these things in the future.” Those words were soft, yet harder to hear than an argument. Ethan fell silent for a long time, finally lowering his voice. “I’ll handle things at the apartment. The master bedroom will be restored. I’ll arrange for Sofia to move out.” I asked, “Where will you arrange for her to go?” Ethan stopped. He seemed not to expect me to ask so directly. “I’ll find another place and arrange someone to stay with her.” I nodded. “That sounds good.” My reaction was too calm, as if I were hearing about someone else’s affairs. Frustration showed in Ethan’s eyes. “Are you still blaming me?” I didn’t answer. I took the old keychain from my pocket and handed it to him. “I found this in the closet. I should return it to you.” Ethan looked at the keychain, his fingers freezing. That year when I stood downstairs with my luggage, too afraid to enter, he’d pressed the keys and keychain into my hands together, telling me not to stand outside waiting anymore. I’d kept this keychain for many years. Now it was covered in dust, the edges still stained with blood from that day in the closet that hadn’t been wiped clean. Ethan didn’t take it. “That was for you.” I placed the keychain in his palm. “That home needs to be rearranged now. There’s no point in me keeping it.” Ethan’s voice deepened. “The apartment won’t become Sofia’s home.” I looked at him. “She moved into the master bedroom, the closet was changed, and she invited friends to visit. These things already happened.” Ethan was blocked from speaking. After a long while, he finally said, “I’ll take you back tonight and have her move out.” His phone rang at that moment. Sofia’s name appeared on the screen. Ethan didn’t answer immediately. I glanced at it. “Answer it. She might need something.” Ethan hung up directly. “Today I’m handling your matters first.” The call came through again quickly. She kept calling Ethan. His expression grew uglier, until finally he answered. Sofia cried breathlessly on the other end. “Ethan, I can’t turn on the light. The room’s so dark, like that old building back then… I can’t find my medicine. Can you come?” Ethan’s brow furrowed sharply as he immediately asked if the door was open, if anyone was nearby. Sofia cried that she didn’t dare move and could only wait for him. After hanging up, Ethan looked at me. “Her condition might really be acting up.” I nodded. “You should go.” Ethan opened his mouth, as if wanting to say he’d come back after handling this. I’d already turned and entered the project courtyard. The gate closed behind me.

Aria POV Ethan didn’t return to the old town that night. The next day, he sent me a message saying Sofia’s condition was unstable, the temporary housing wasn’t suitable for her, and he’d make new arrangements. I read it but didn’t reply. I was busy at the project site until evening when the project manager reminded me, “If you’re staying here long-term, you’d better handle things back home in the next couple days. In a few days this place will be closed, making it inconvenient to leave.” I returned to the apartment that night. I told Ethan in advance I was only coming back for half an hour to get things and he didn’t need to come back. But when I entered, Sofia’s voice came from the master bedroom. Sofia hadn’t moved out. She was having the housekeeper hang several pieces of clothing back in the closet. Seeing me, she first showed surprise, then quickly smiled. “Aria, why did you suddenly come back? Ethan wasn’t comfortable with me living alone, so he had me come back and stay for a few days.” I didn’t engage, walking straight to the study. Sofia followed. “He originally wanted to explain personally but was afraid you’d overthink it, so he told me not to say anything first.” I packed materials into my bag. Sofia’s voice lowered, finally unable to hide her smugness. “Actually, who gets to stay in this home is ultimately Ethan’s decision.” I stopped and looked at her. “What exactly are you trying to say?” Sofia stepped closer. “Last night after Ethan came back, he kept looking at that old keychain. What he can’t let go of isn’t you, it’s the convenience of having someone take care of him.” I looked at her without letting her drag me into an argument. “If you really want to stay, hold onto him tight. And stop making him run to my side.” Sofia’s expression changed. She immediately caught up. “But he still brought me back to the master bedroom in the end, didn’t he? He says he’ll arrange for me to move out, but in the end he softens.” I zipped up my bag. “The master bedroom, the house, Ethan, you can have it all if you want.” I finished speaking and went downstairs. When Ethan rushed back to the apartment, I’d nearly reached the door. Seeing Sofia still at home, his expression immediately darkened. “Go back to the master bedroom. Don’t come out.” Sofia tried to explain. This time Ethan gave her no chance to speak. I said, “I’ve got my things. I’m leaving.” Ethan caught up and grabbed my suitcase handle. “I’ll handle this properly.” I looked at his hand. Ethan’s voice tightened. “If you want the original master bedroom, I’ll have it restored. If you think this apartment is tainted, I’ll get a new one. If you mind the property rights, I’ll have a lawyer come over right now.” These words sounded sincere. But they all revolved around the house. I only said, “I’m living at the project site now. I don’t need a new house.” Ethan’s eyes reddened, pushed by my refusal. “Then what exactly do you want?” “Let go.” “Aria, do you have to make a scene?” I looked at him. “What are you talking about?” Ethan froze. “I didn’t kick Sofia out, didn’t stop you from taking care of her, and didn’t force you to return the master bedroom to me.” I gripped the suitcase handle. “I’m just moving out.” With those words, Ethan’s fingers stiffened. Suddenly Sofia’s urgent voice came from upstairs. “Ethan! The door won’t open!” Her voice trembled, as if she’d cry the next second. “I went into the small storage room next to the master bedroom. There’s no light inside… Ethan, I can’t breathe!” Ethan’s expression changed. He instinctively released the suitcase handle and turned to run upstairs. The housekeeper and maintenance staff followed. The living room quickly emptied. I lowered my head to look at the finally released suitcase handle. I didn’t wait for Ethan to come back and explain, nor did I go upstairs to see if Sofia was really trapped. I dragged my suitcase out the door and got in a car. As the car left the complex, Ethan sent a message. He said Sofia really had been trapped just now, told me to go back to the project site first, and he’d come find me later. I glanced at it but didn’t reply. I took the apartment access card from my bag and put it in an envelope. By the time the envelope was sealed, the car had driven far away.

Aria POV When I finished tidying the housing room, a box still sat against the wall. Inside were old items I planned to send back to the villa. Ethan rushed to the old town that afternoon without bringing Sofia or having his driver follow inside. He stood outside the project site. I wore my work badge, verifying restoration progress with the project manager. After I finished working, Ethan spoke. “Let’s have a proper talk tonight.” I didn’t refuse. At the restaurant, Ethan didn’t mention Sofia’s fear of the dark again or explain about the master bedroom. He said, “I’ve already had Sofia move out. The master bedroom will be restored to its original state.” I asked, “Where is she now?” “Another apartment in the city. Someone’s with her, and a doctor will visit.” I nodded. “Very thorough arrangements.” That tone sounded too much like an outsider’s. Ethan’s expression darkened. He pulled property transfer documents from his bag and pushed them toward me. “The villa can be transferred to your name. If you don’t want to live in the original house, I’ll help you pick a new one.” I didn’t take them. “I need to enter the closed site tomorrow morning.” I said, “I’m not handling the house matter right now.” Ethan stared at me. “Are you not planning to come home anymore?” Before I could answer, his phone rang. The call was from the housekeeper taking care of Sofia. The housekeeper sounded panicked, saying Sofia had disappeared. She left only one sentence. That she was going back to look at the old building where the incident happened. Ethan’s expression changed drastically. That old building had long been abandoned, with unsafe stairs and wiring. He hung up, his first reaction to stand up. I looked at him and said, “Go.” Ethan seemed about to explain. “This time is different. She might really be in danger.” “I know.” Ethan picked up his car keys. “Go back to your place first. I’ll come find you after I handle this.” He left right after speaking. I sat in the restaurant, closed the property transfer documents, and placed them back on the table. The project manager sent a message. Tomorrow morning’s assembly time had been moved up to six o’clock. Later the project van happened to detour near the old building to pick someone up. Through the car window, I saw Ethan’s car parked outside. The housekeeper and security surrounded the building’s base while Ethan had already rushed inside. Screams came from upstairs. Someone shouted, “She’s on the third floor in the old storage room! The door’s jammed and there’s no light inside!” Project personnel got out to examine the old building’s structure. I also followed to the stairway entrance. I’d only wanted to confirm whether the site needed the restoration team to assess the risks. Suddenly an old wooden board came loose from above. Sofia had just been pulled from the old storage room by Ethan and stood trembling at the landing. Ethan barely hesitated before pulling her into his arms and backing toward the wall with her. The board hit the handrail, its shattered edges falling toward the other side. I stood right there. My shoulder and back were struck, my palm cut by rusted metal when I braced myself on the ground. I knelt at the bottom of the stairs and looked up to see Ethan lowering his head to check Sofia. He asked her, “Are you hurt?” Sofia clung tightly to him, shaking her head while crying. Ethan finally saw me, his face going white, immediately wanting to come help me. Sofia gripped his clothes. “Ethan, my legs are weak…” Ethan’s movements paused for an instant. I braced myself against the stairway railing to stand, letting a project colleague help me outside. Ethan explained urgently, “The situation was too sudden just now. She was closer to me.” I didn’t respond to that statement. I only said, “Get her out first. The old building isn’t safe.” I had my palm and shoulder treated at a nearby clinic. The project manager asked if I needed to notify family. I said no. Ethan’s calls came continuously. I didn’t answer. That evening, I returned to the villa. Some of Sofia’s things had been moved away, but traces of her still remained in the master bedroom. I didn’t tidy up. I pulled out the last box, placed the keys on the nightstand. The access card pressed beside the keys. The old keychain also lay nearby, still stained with dust that hadn’t been wiped clean. I placed Ethan’s property transfer documents at the very bottom. I didn’t sign. The housekeeper saw me dragging the box downstairs and froze. “Mrs. Hart, are you going back to the old town?” I stopped walking. “You don’t need to prepare my things anymore or keep a room for me. If he comes back, have him look at the master bedroom nightstand.” The housekeeper said Ethan would be back soon. But I didn’t wait. As the car door closed, Ethan’s call came through again. I watched the screen light up and turned it off. The car drove toward the old town.

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In my past life, Ethan rushed out of the burning car wreck with Lena in his arms. He left me, his wife, to burn into charred remains. As my soul left my body, a voice spoke. “You harbor deep resentment. You are granted thirty days of life, after which you will completely disappear. Do you accept?” I answered, “Yes.” I woke in excruciating pain as Ethan’s gentle voice came beside me. “Sophia, my mother made me promise to take care of Lena before she died. I only see her as a sister.” I let out a cold laugh. If he really saw her as a sister, how could he have slept with her? His hand covered my chest, right where I had taken a bullet for him eight years ago. In the past, this would have moved me to tears. But now, I only felt nauseous, though I still obediently embraced him. “Ethan, I understand.” I lowered my eyes and smiled, but my gaze was cold as ice. This time, I wouldn’t go crazy. I would just quietly watch them walk toward their destruction. Sophia’s POV I woke to the searing pain of being burned alive. In that car accident from my past life, I was trapped in the twisted driver’s seat. I watched Ethan carry Lena out of the inferno without a second thought. I was left to burn into charred remains. The moment my soul left my body, I heard a cold voice echo in the void. “Deep resentment detected. You are granted thirty days of life. After thirty days, you will completely disappear from this world. Do you accept?” I answered firmly in the flames. “Yes!” When I opened my eyes again, blinding white light filled my vision. Beside me, Ethan’s gentle voice reached my ears. “Sophia, before my mother died, she said she had wronged Lena’s parents and made me promise to take care of her.” “Lena is innocent. I’ll look after her for three years on behalf of my mother.” “After three years, I’ll take you to Switzerland to remove that bullet fragment from your chest. I’ll be with you forever.” As he spoke, his warm palm gently covered my chest. It was where I had blocked a bullet for him eight years ago. If I had heard this confession in my past life, I would have been so moved that I’d throw myself into his arms and nod in agreement. But now, looking at Ethan’s affectionate expression, I only felt intense nausea churning in my stomach. But I didn’t push him away. I obediently lowered my eyes, forced out a tear, and even reached out to embrace him, my voice trembling. “Ethan, I understand. Your mother would understand too.” Hearing my words, Ethan’s tense body instantly relaxed. He rested his chin on top of my head and let out a long, satisfied sigh. “Sophia, you’re always so kind. You’re wonderful.” He didn’t know that in the corner he couldn’t see, I was coldly staring at my left wrist resting on his back. A faint red line had appeared there, and at the end of the line, a row of blood-red letters floated that only I could see. “Time until death: 30 days” “I won’t be home tonight. Lena just got back, and she’s afraid of the dark. She needs someone with her.” Ethan tucked the blanket around me and placed a light kiss on my forehead. “Get some rest. Remember to take your medicine.” The door closed. The expression on my face vanished instantly. I threw off the covers and walked barefoot to the floor-to-ceiling window. Downstairs, Ethan walked toward a black Bentley. The passenger door opened, and a woman wrapped in a beige coat impatiently threw herself into his arms, standing on her toes to kiss his lips passionately. Lena. The future superstar who would become famous nationwide next month. Watching the intimate couple under the streetlights, I turned away expressionlessly and quickly walked to the desk, pulling open the bottom drawer and prying open the hidden compartment with a knife. Inside lay an old manila envelope and a hospital document that had slipped from Ethan’s suit pocket. These were the secrets I hadn’t discovered until my death in my past life. I pulled out the letter. On it was written Ethan’s mother’s desperate curse: “I will not allow Lena to marry my son! Even in death, I forbid it!” And the hospital document was an ultrasound report. Twelve weeks pregnant. I gripped the ultrasound report tightly, my fingertips pale white, my heart feeling like it was being pierced by countless needles. Ethan said he had only agreed to care for Lena a month ago at his mother’s deathbed. But three months ago, they already had a child together! What dying wish, what three years of care. All lies! He was just using his recently deceased mother as an excuse to keep his mistress, pregnant with his illegitimate child, right under my nose. All the rage and desolation churned violently in my chest, but in the end, I didn’t shed a single tear. I calmly put the letter and ultrasound report back in the hidden compartment. In my past life, I had confronted him like a madwoman with this evidence, only to face Ethan’s anger and punishment. In this life, I wouldn’t ask a single question. Until the day I died, I would leave these things for him as the heaviest gift of his life.

Sophia’s POV Over the next few days, Ethan was almost never home at night. But he would call via video every day at the same time, carefully reminding me to eat and take my medicine, acting like the most considerate husband in the world. “Sophia, I have an important client tonight and need to work late. Get some rest early.” On the screen, Ethan loosened his tie. Behind him was the hallway of the Monarch Private Club. I watched the unnatural guilt in his eyes and nodded obediently. “Okay. Don’t drink too much. Your stomach is delicate and needs careful care.” After hanging up, I glanced at the heavy rain outside. Ethan had severe stomach problems. Every time he drank too much, he would have stomach spasms. In the past, whenever he went drinking with clients, I would deliver medicine to him even in a snowstorm. I grabbed the medicine and left. This would perhaps be the last time I delivered anything to him. After all, if I was going to act, I had to act until the end. When I reached the top-floor private room at the Monarch Club, I was about to push the door open when laughter from inside made me freeze. “Ethan, you’re so ruthless. How can you even make up such lies?” That was the voice of Ethan’s friend, Marcus. Inside the warm room, the words Ethan spoke made me, standing outside the door, feel cold all over. “If I don’t make up lies, would Sophia, with her stubborn personality, believe me? She took a bullet for me back then. My safety and my family’s gratitude matter most to her in this life. Only by using my dead mother as an excuse will she not go crazy.” “But Lena’s baby is already three months along. Can you really keep it from her?” “What’s there to fear?” Ethan leisurely swirled his wine glass, his tone full of arrogant control. “The bullet fragment in Sophia’s chest has been there for eight years. The doctor said she could have an episode at any time. Even if I don’t say anything, her broken body won’t last much longer.” “Besides, once Lena gives birth, I’ll just say I found a surrogate abroad. As long as I tell Sophia I still love her, she can’t live without me, and she’ll eventually accept the child as her own.” Inside the room, exclamations erupted as friends praised Ethan’s clever plan, keeping both wife and child by his side. Outside the door, I stood frozen in place, my mind completely blank. Even though I already knew the secret of the ultrasound report, hearing Ethan use my devotion as leverage to manipulate me still tore my heart apart. He not only wanted to humiliate me with lies. He was even hoping the bullet fragment in my chest would kill me! In his plan, my compliance and death were both stepping stones to pave the way for his mistress and illegitimate child! A sharp pain shot through my chest. It was the rusted bullet fragment warning me from within my flesh and blood. I clutched my chest tightly, my face pale with pain, cold sweat instantly soaking my back. I didn’t push the door open to make a scene. I didn’t confront him. I just quietly looked at the medicine in my hand and tossed it into the nearby trash can like garbage. A dull thud. Along with my eight years of love, thrown away together. I turned and walked into the rainy night. I didn’t go home. Instead, I went straight to Central Hospital. In the emergency room, the doctor looked at my chest X-ray with furrowed brows. “Ms. Blackwood, this bullet fragment has moved to the edge of your aorta! Have you been under some kind of stress lately? If you don’t have surgery, you won’t live past a month!” “I won’t have the surgery.” I calmly got dressed. “Just give me some painkillers.” The doctor looked at me in shock. “You’re waiting to die!” I smiled faintly and didn’t answer. Yes, I was waiting to die. Because with the thirty-day countdown, no one could rewrite my fate. I looked down at my left wrist, where the red line flickered faintly. “Time until death: 26 days”

Sophia’s POV Ethan didn’t come home until noon the next day, reeking of perfume. He was clearly in an excellent mood. As soon as he entered, he handed me an exquisite jewelry box. “Sophia, this is for you.” I opened the box to find an expensive pink diamond necklace inside. In my past life, I had been so moved when I received this necklace that my eyes reddened, thinking it showed his favoritism toward me. But later I learned that Lena had her eye on a blue diamond necklace from the same collection. To please Lena, Ethan bought the entire series of gemstone jewelry and gave me the pink diamond necklace Lena didn’t like as compensation. “Do you like it?” Ethan gently stroked my hair. “Next week is Sterling Group’s fifth anniversary gala. I want you to wear it and accompany me as Mrs. Sterling.” I closed the lid, my lips curving into a docile smile. “Okay, whatever you say.” Ethan paused, a flash of guilt crossing his eyes as he tentatively spoke. “Sophia, there’s one more thing… Lena just entered the entertainment industry. For this anniversary gala, I want her to attend as a special guest.” He stared intently at my eyes, as if afraid I would lose my temper. “You’re the hostess. At the event, I want you to personally introduce her to those directors and producers. Consider it helping me take care of her.” He wanted me to personally go on stage and elevate his mistress into New York’s elite circles. Was there any crueler humiliation in this world? In my past life, I had cried and begged him all night in the study over this matter, only to receive his cold response: “When did you become so vicious?” In the end, I was still forced to attend, becoming a laughingstock throughout New York. And at this moment, looking at Ethan’s hypocritical eyes, I found it absurd. I didn’t cry. I didn’t even hesitate. I nodded quite naturally. “Sure.” My voice was soft. “Of course I’ll take good care of her.” Ethan let out a huge sigh of relief, joy bursting from his eyes. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek excitedly. “Sophia, I knew you were the kindest! Don’t worry, once I fulfill my mother’s wish, I’ll love only you forever!” I let him hold me, my gaze moving past his shoulder to coldly rest on our wedding photo on the wall. Kind? It was because I was going to die soon, Ethan. How could someone about to die concern themselves with such trivial matters? On the day of the gala. I wore a tasteful, elegant dress and entered the venue on Ethan’s arm. Before long, Lena appeared at the venue in an extremely ostentatious white gown. Her gaze swept past the crowd and landed provocatively on me. “Sophia.” Lena approached, deliberately glancing at my flat abdomen. “Thank you for all your hard work today. Ethan said you’ve been in poor health and haven’t been able to conceive. I feel terrible making you work so hard.” The socialites around us instantly showed mocking expressions. This was clearly a deliberate jab at my pain regarding children. Ethan’s face changed slightly. He instinctively looked at me, trying to catch anger or grievance on my face. Because as long as I got angry, he could take Lena’s side. But he saw nothing. Not only was I not angry, I picked up a glass of warm water from a passing server’s tray and personally handed it to Lena. “You’re too kind, Ms. Cooper. Drink more warm water and don’t overexert yourself.” Lena’s face stiffened, panic flashing in her eyes. But I didn’t look at her again. I turned to Ethan with a smile so gentle it was flawless. “Ethan, Mr. Harrison is over there. Let me take Lena over to introduce her.” I took Lena’s hand and led her into the core of the banquet. Halfway through the event, I excused myself to use the restroom and walked alone to the venue’s terrace. The night wind made my chest ache faintly. I took out my phone and sent a message to Owen. “Owen, I’ve signed the transfer contract for The Late Hours Bookstore. Please help me process the transfer tomorrow.” The only thing in this world I couldn’t take with me or let go of was this bookstore. Now, I needed to erase this final trace. I glanced at the night sky. The red line on my left wrist glowed faintly in the darkness. “Time until death: 22 days” I turned to head back to the venue but heard Lena’s lowered voice from around the corner. “Ethan, when will Sophia finally die? Didn’t the doctor say she wouldn’t live long? My belly will be showing in two more months. Do you want our child to be born a bastard?” Then came Ethan’s gentle yet cruel reassurance. “Lena, just wait a little longer. She behaved so well today. How can I bring up divorce now? Don’t worry. The future heir of Sterling Group can only be our child.” I stood quietly in the shadows, listening to them plan their future after my death. The corners of my mouth slowly curved into an eerie arc. What’s the rush? There were still 22 days left. In 22 days, I would give them the most grand banquet of all.

Sophia’s POV The day after the anniversary gala, I was at the bookstore organizing the last batch of old books to donate when the door was suddenly pushed open. My best friend Emma rushed in breathlessly, her eyes red-rimmed, grabbing my wrist. “Sophia, something happened!” At last night’s gala, Emma had witnessed Ethan and Lena’s disgusting behavior and was furious. Today, while recording a show at the TV station, she happened to run into Lena, and the two had a confrontation. Emma slapped Lena across the face in public and called her a homewrecker. “I just can’t stand her behavior! Why should you be bullied by that bitch!” Emma trembled as she cried. My heart tightened, but before I could speak, the harsh sound of braking came from outside. Ethan arrived with several bodyguards, his face dark with fury as he strode into the bookstore. His usual gentle mask was completely torn away. The look he gave Emma was as cold as if he were looking at a dead person. “Take her away.” Ethan coldly ordered. “Since Ms. Hayes can’t control her hands, she doesn’t need to stay in New York anymore.” “Ethan, what are you doing!” I rushed to stand in front of Emma. Ethan looked at me, his tone severe. “Sophia, she slapped Lena in front of so many people today! Lena is a public figure, and more importantly, she’s the person my mother asked me to care for before she died. She’s suffered such a great injustice. This can’t just end like this!” “Not only will she be blacklisted online, I’m sending her to prison!” All the blood in my body seemed to freeze at that moment. In my past life, Emma had been driven to bankruptcy by Ethan for standing up for me against Lena, and eventually swallowed twenty sleeping pills and committed suicide. That scene was a wound in my heart that would bleed forever. I could endure Ethan’s cold violence toward me, but I absolutely couldn’t let Emma be harmed again! I clenched my fists tightly, my nails nearly digging into my flesh. Looking at this husband who was willing to push my best friend to the brink of destruction for another woman, I swallowed the bloody taste rising in my throat. I lowered my head, my voice hoarse to the extreme. “Ethan, I’m begging you, don’t hurt her.” Ethan frowned. “Sophia, don’t be unreasonable.” “I’ll apologize for her.” I closed my eyes, my knees bending slightly. “I’ll go apologize to Lena. Is that okay?” Ethan froze. He looked at my humble posture, reluctance crossing his face, but he quickly suppressed it. “Fine,” Ethan looked at me. “Go to Lena’s set this afternoon and apologize to her. Then I won’t pursue this matter.” After Ethan left, Emma held me and sobbed. “Sophia, why are you apologizing! What did you do wrong!” I didn’t cry. I calmly took out my phone and transferred all five million dollars remaining in my account to Emma. “Emma, take this money and leave immediately. Never come back.” “Sophia…” “Go!” I pushed her away forcefully. “I can’t protect you for long. You can only honor me by living well!” Because the protection of the dead has an expiration date.

Sophia’s POV That afternoon, I went to the set where Lena was filming as promised. It had just rained, and the second-story set construction was somewhat shaky. I stood below, watching Lena sit in her rest chair. “Sophia, you really didn’t need to come apologize in person.” Lena stroked her belly, her smile full of boasting. “Ethan is just so worried about me and the baby. He doesn’t want us to suffer any harm.” My face showed no emotion. I just quietly watched her. “I’m not here to discuss that with you. Ethan said as long as I apologize to you, he’ll let Emma go. I keep my word.” I bent slightly toward her, my tone flat. “I’m sorry, Ms. Cooper. Emma shouldn’t have hit you. It’s my fault. I should have explained things to her earlier.” Lena probably hadn’t expected me to apologize so readily. She paused before speaking coquettishly. “Well, since you’ve apologized, what can I say? But my face still hurts. I don’t know if I can be on camera.” I stared at her expressionlessly, about to speak. Suddenly, the sound of metal breaking came from overhead! People around let out cries of alarm and frantically ran toward the exits. “Look out!” Someone shouted, and a row of heavy steel frames used to secure the lighting, loosened from their screws, came crashing down toward where Lena and I were standing! Amid the screams, I instinctively stepped back, but from the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan had just entered the set. He moved quickly, running toward us. I thought he was coming to save me. “Ethan! Save me! My baby!” Lena screamed, pretending to twist her ankle and falling to the ground. The steel frames were originally falling between us. If Ethan pulled me, both Lena and I could escape. But in that instant. Ethan’s body didn’t think at all. He rushed over, scooped up Lena from the ground, and threw himself outward! And as he lunged for Lena, he knocked into a prop box beside him, which directly blocked my only escape route! I looked desperately at the box before me, the sound of steel frames colliding reaching my ears. CRASH! A huge impact. Dust flew everywhere. The steel frame, weighing over a hundred pounds, slammed down on my chest and back. The moment I was crushed under the steel frame, I didn’t feel pain. I just felt something in my chest completely shatter. Eight years ago, in a shootout. Ethan was being hunted by enemies. When that bullet shot toward him, I didn’t hesitate to throw myself in front of him, using my chest to block the fatal strike. That bullet fragment stopped just half a centimeter from my heart, causing me years of chronic pain. But because I loved him, I willingly got hurt for him. But I never imagined that eight years later, today. In the swirling dust, I coughed up blood in great mouthfuls. I struggled to open my eyes and through the gaps in the steel frame, I saw Ethan and Lena, safe and sound, a few meters away. Ethan was anxiously cupping Lena’s face, asking repeatedly. “Lena, is our baby hurt? Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” Even though Lena only had a minor scrape, his eyes reddened with distress. But Ethan didn’t see me, lying to the side, dying. In the same dangerous moment, years ago I went to die for him. Now, for another woman, he personally pushed me into mortal danger. Watching their intimate scene, a drop of warm liquid finally slid from the corner of my eye. It was the last tear I would shed for this absurd, laughable eight-year love. Then, in a wave of excruciating pain, I fell completely into darkness.

Sophia’s POV The next time I regained consciousness, I was lying in the hospital’s intensive care unit. Every bone in my body felt like it had been crushed by a truck. Even breathing sent sharp pain through my chest. “Mr. Sterling,” outside the room, the doctor’s voice carried anger, “Ms. Blackwood was struck by a heavy object, causing the bullet fragment from eight years ago to completely shift. The fragment has now pierced through the pericardium and is pressing against her aorta!” Ethan’s voice trembled with shock. “Then do surgery to remove it! I don’t care how much it costs. Use the best treatment!” “It can’t be removed.” The doctor coldly interrupted him. “It’s too deep. In her current physical condition, the moment we open her chest for surgery, she’ll hemorrhage and die immediately. With conservative treatment, she has at most half a month left.” “She’s essentially someone who could die at any moment now!” Silence fell outside the door. I lay in the hospital bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling. On my wrist, the red line had turned so red it seemed about to drip blood. “Time until death: 18 days” What a coincidence. Even the death sentence from the doctor matched the system’s countdown. I don’t know how much time passed before the hospital room door was pushed open. Ethan walked in with red eyes, his steps somewhat unsteady. He approached the bed, looking at my pale face covered with tubes, his lips trembling violently as he tried to hold my hand. “Sophia…” I didn’t dodge. I lay there like a senseless rag doll, letting him grip my hand. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!” Ethan suddenly broke down and buried his face in my palm. “I didn’t see you there! Lena is pregnant. All I could think about was my mother’s dying wish to protect this child. It was just an instinctive reaction… I didn’t mean to leave you behind!” Listening to his excuse full of lies, my heart didn’t waver even slightly. In my past life, I might have forgiven him for such an excuse. But now I knew. What dying wish, what caring for a benefactor. All lies. He abandoned me in a moment of danger simply because he no longer loved me. Seeing me remain silent, Ethan panicked. He looked up, his eyes full of pleading. “Sophia, hit me, yell at me, anything. Just don’t stay silent! I swear I’ll find the best doctors in the world. I will cure you!” “Okay.” In the silent hospital room, I suddenly spoke. My voice was extremely hoarse from the injury, but my tone was calm. “Ethan, I don’t blame you. Lena is pregnant. It’s right that you saved her. If it were me, I would have told you to save the child first too.” Ethan froze completely. He thought I would question him frantically, cry and accuse him of his heartlessness. But I didn’t. Not only did I not blame him, I was even making excuses for him. Wasn’t this exactly the result Ethan wanted most? But for some reason, looking at my expressionless face, Ethan began to panic. “Sophia, you really… don’t blame me?” He tested carefully. “I don’t blame you.” I even managed an extremely weak smile. “Go be with her. She must have been terrified today.” Ethan hesitated, but was ultimately pulled back to reality by his assistant’s low call from outside the door. “Mr. Sterling, Ms. Cooper is crying about stomach pain and won’t cooperate with the examination…” Ethan glanced at me. “Sophia, I’ll just check on Lena and come right back to stay with you. Rest well.” The door closed. The smile on my face vanished instantly. I struggled to lift my left hand, looking at the pulsing blood-red countdown. After these 18 days passed, after I disappeared from this hopeless marriage. Then he would know what he abandoned today.

Sophia’s POV In the hospital room, the smell of disinfectant soaked into my bones every day. I had become skeletal, my once-fitted hospital gown hanging loosely on my frame. Even breathing required an oxygen mask. Every heartbeat caused the bullet fragment in my chest to scrape against tissue, bringing excruciating pain. The countdown had reached its final 3 days. That afternoon, Ethan came to the hospital room. Looking at my pale face, his eyes flickered evasively, but he still put on that affectionate expression. “Sophia, the day after tomorrow… I’m having a wedding ceremony with Lena.” I looked at him quietly, saying nothing. Ethan urgently gripped my emaciated hand and explained. “Don’t misunderstand! It’s not a real marriage, just to comfort her! Recently, many people online have been calling her a homewrecker. She’s emotionally devastated. The doctor said if this continues, the baby won’t survive. I’m only doing this to fulfill my mother’s dying promise. It’s just something I came up with!” “Once the baby is safely born, I’ll find some excuse to send her away. In my heart, there’s only ever been you.” He made infidelity sound so dignified. Looking at this man before me, I wanted to cut open his chest and see what his heart was made of. But I only blinked, my voice as light as the wind. “Okay.” Seeing me agree so readily, joy flashed in Ethan’s eyes, but then his gaze moved to my left hand. There, I wore an extremely expensive gold bracelet. In my past life, even though Ethan’s mother disliked me, she had given me this bracelet before her death. “Sophia,” Ethan’s tone was tentative, “the wedding the day after tomorrow will have many media present. Could you… lend her the bracelet to wear for one day?” “Just one day! As soon as the wedding is over, I’ll return it to you immediately!” I suddenly let out a low laugh. The laugh made my chest shake, coughing up a large mouthful of blood-streaked phlegm. Ethan panicked and quickly grabbed tissues to wipe. “Sophia, don’t get upset! If you don’t want to, forget it…” “I’m willing.” I pushed away his hand and without hesitation removed the bracelet and threw it at him. “Take it.” Ethan held the bracelet still warm from my body, his entire being freezing. He looked at me in shock. My gaze was too calm. Not a trace of attachment, as if discarding filthy garbage. Enormous panic gripped Ethan’s heart. He suddenly grabbed my hand. “Sophia, wait for me. As soon as this wedding is over, I’ll come back to stay with you!” I closed my eyes and stopped looking at him. On my left wrist, the red line emitted a piercing red glow. “Time until death: 3 days” The day before the wedding was also the last day before my impending death. I pulled out the IV needle from the back of my hand and signed the form to refuse treatment. Amid the doctor’s sighs, I wrapped myself in an oversized coat and left the hospital alone. I returned to the villa, the home that was supposed to be our wedding house, the place where I had once poured all my love. I pushed open the door. The familiar scent rushed toward me. In my past life, I had constantly hoped Ethan would come home to see me just once. “Mrs. Sterling?” The housekeeper looked startled seeing my weakened state. “Why did you leave the hospital? Mr. Sterling, he’s getting married tomorrow…” “Call everyone in the house here.” My voice was hoarse but carried a cold hardness. Soon, the servants and security guards stood in the living room. I sat on the sofa, pointing at the furniture throughout the house. “My things, if any of you want them, take them directly.” None of the servants dared move. I let out a cold laugh and pulled out a lighter from under the table, flicking it open with a “click.” “If you don’t take them, I’ll burn everything.” In less than two hours, they had emptied the villa. Anything they couldn’t carry or didn’t want, I threw into the incinerator. I personally took down the massive wedding photo from the wall, along with the sketch Ethan had drawn of me years ago, the thick stack of love letters he’d sent, and even the wedding dress I’d treasured for many years. One by one, I threw them all into the roaring flames. The firelight reflected on my bloodless face. Watching these things turn to ash in the flames, the stone that had weighed on my heart for two lifetimes finally shattered completely. From now on, there would be no trace left in this world that I had ever loved Ethan Sterling. After handling everything, I returned to the empty study. I took out a black courier envelope. I put Ethan’s mother’s real letter inside. I put Lena’s ultrasound report inside. I also put in dozens of hotel check-in records between Lena and producer Nathan Rivers. Finally, I threw in a USB drive containing the recording of what Ethan said in that private room. I sealed the envelope, attached a courier label, and wrote down the address of the hotel where Ethan was holding his wedding tomorrow. I dialed the courier service, my voice as calm as if I was ordering takeout. “Tomorrow at exactly noon, make sure to deliver this personally into Ethan Sterling’s hands.” Everything was ready. I pushed open the villa’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Facing the biting cold wind, I looked at my left wrist. The red line had burned down to its end. “Time until death: final 12 hours”

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When I was five months pregnant, Thomas’s first love came to the house to provoke me and commit arson. I immediately called Thomas for help. In the end, my child was saved, but Mickey died in the fire that day. Thomas said he didn’t blame me and told me to rest easy in the hospital until I gave birth. But on the day I gave birth to our child, he burned me and the baby alive. In my final moment, through the raging flames, I saw his vicious, twisted face. “If you hadn’t deliberately set that fire, Mickey would never have died!” “You think you can fool me by pretending to be the victim? Dream on! You’re going to pay for her life with yours!” “You like setting fires, don’t you? I’ll let you experience it firsthand, feel every bit of Mickey’s pain before she died!” When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the fire scene. Thick smoke poured into my nostrils, choking me into violent coughs. The pain instantly jolted me awake from my memories of my past life. The first thing I did was pull out my phone, but this time I didn’t dial my firefighter captain husband—I called 911 instead. When the rescue team arrived, I spotted Thomas’s familiar figure from afar. Only after he carried Mickey out of the fire did I feel safe enough to call out for help from the other rescuers. Those crew members thought I was making a fuss and scolded me coldly for a long time. A wall decoration crashed down, slamming hard into my pregnant belly. I coughed up blood on the spot, but they still acted as if they hadn’t noticed. Gritting my teeth through the excruciating pain, I used every ounce of strength to crawl out of the fire scene. But all the cooling and emergency equipment was being used on Mickey. Thomas didn’t even bother to glance at me, only cursing that I got what I deserved. The pain made me break out in cold sweat, blood spilling from my mouth. I could even feel my child’s life rapidly slipping away. In my past life, when the fire first started, both Mickey and I had called Thomas for help at the same time. But for the sake of the child, he chose to rescue me first. By the time he returned to the fire scene, the blaze was out of control and he couldn’t go back in to save anyone. Mickey died in the flames on the spot, burned beyond recognition. Thomas said it was okay and told me not to blame myself. To comfort me, he even took time off to stay with me until I gave birth. But on the day I delivered our child, he dragged me and the baby to Mickey’s grave. Right in front of me, he slit our child’s throat with a knife. Blood splattered across his face, making his eyes look even more bloodshot. “Angel, do you know what it feels like to be burned alive? Mickey suffered through that pain, and I’m going to make you repay it ten times, a hundred times over!” Later, just as he wished, I died in the flames with our child. This time, reborn, I only wanted to escape far away. I never expected he still wouldn’t let me go—he wouldn’t even spare the cooling and first aid equipment for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw blood gushing from below. I wailed, using my hoarse voice to make one final plea for help. “Save the baby… please…” The crew member closest to me finally noticed and turned to look at me. But his eyes were full of disdain and mockery. He kicked at me with his foot. “Angel, stop acting. Everyone on our team knows you can’t stand Mickey, right?” “I can’t believe you’d commit arson while pregnant. Thomas already went to save someone—no one’s watching your performance anymore.” “Honestly, I kind of admire you. To do this kind of thing for a man.” “But it’s a shame—Thomas only has eyes for Mickey. You better pray she’s okay, or Thomas will divorce you in a heartbeat!” I knew Thomas didn’t love me, but I never imagined even his crew members saw me this way. The violent contractions in my abdomen made it impossible for me to make another sound. My scalding skin was peeling off in the high temperature. All the crew members were busy putting out the fire. Not a single person asked about my condition. As my consciousness faded, I heard someone nearby exclaim: “Oh no! Why is there so much blood on the ground? This is bad—what if something really happened to Angel?” “What could possibly happen? She just wants Thomas to look at her. She’s been making a scene for ages. Whatever, just go call Thomas over and try.” But I didn’t get Thomas’s concern—only his ruthless interrogation. His gloved hand slapped me hard twice across the face. “Angel, wake up. Stop pretending. I’m here now.” “Is your brain broken? You set a fire and managed to burn yourself like this? Shooting yourself in the foot—is this fun for you?” Even at this point, he still thought I set the fire. He still thought I was acting out of jealousy. I wanted to explain, but my mouth was too dry to speak. My stomach hurt terribly. All I could do was reach out and grab his sleeve, hoping he would understand my plea for help. But after hesitating for two seconds, he pressed down hard on my abdomen. “Pretty convincing act. If Mickey hadn’t told me you hid yourself after setting the fire, I might have actually believed you.” After leaving those words, he turned and left without hesitation.

The next second, a crew member’s shocked voice rang out beside me. “Thomas! Blood! Angel is bleeding!” “Is she having a miscarriage?!” “Don’t worry about her. Mickey said it’s just chicken blood. The baby’s already five months along—it’s not that easy to lose. If she wants to act, let her act.” After the intense pain, my vision went black and I lost consciousness completely. In my dream, I seemed to return to when I first met Thomas. At a campus lecture, his face was cold as ice, but his impressive professional skills captured many girls’ hearts. I was no exception. After falling for him at first sight, I started asking around about him. Back then I was still a teaching assistant at the school. He didn’t think much of me. To get his attention, I worked harder and harder. After getting tenure, I invited him to dinner under the guise of gratitude. I keenly noticed that the way he looked at me had changed. I seized that opportunity and pursued him relentlessly. Flowers, basketballs, cakes, coffee—I never held back on gifts. Finally, I got what I wanted. He agreed to my confession. I thought this was the beginning of happiness, but it turned out to be the start of my nightmare. After we got together, he grew colder and colder toward me. Every time we had a date, either he was busy with work or had a sudden rescue mission. I never doubted him until our wedding day. An email from abroad completely shattered my dream. Mickey had documented in detail their ten years together. Every second of those memories felt like a knife to my heart. It turned out that all the time he stood me up, he was spending with another woman. What was even sadder was that I didn’t even have the courage to confront him. I was afraid he would leave. In my past life, when Mickey died, he was so calm that I once thought I was the winner in this relationship. For me and the child, he practically bought out every baby store in the city. This sudden surge of affection made my head spin and I completely lost my ability to think rationally. It wasn’t until the moment I gave birth and died at his hands that I understood. He wasn’t loving me with his life—he was relentlessly taking revenge. The love of his life, from beginning to end, had only ever been Mickey. When I woke up, I was already in a hospital room. The person beside me wasn’t Thomas, but an unfamiliar face. “You’re awake? I’m your downstairs neighbor. I originally went up to check on the fire.” “Who knew when I got there I’d see you lying on the ground alone, so I brought you to the hospital. Are you okay? How do you feel?” I struggled to move my limbs. When my hands touched my belly, my movements froze. “I’m sorry, but when you were brought in, the doctor said your baby couldn’t be saved…” I pulled at the corners of my mouth in a bitter smile. “It’s not your fault. I know.” “Thank you for bringing me to the hospital.” Even a stranger could tell at a glance that something was wrong with me, but my husband of five years couldn’t be bothered to look at me. Seeing my low spirits, he seemed even more upset than I was. “I don’t know what’s wrong with that rescue team. How could they not save someone lying there in plain sight?” “If I hadn’t gone up, you’d be dead by now! Where’s your family? Doesn’t the baby’s father care?” “If you have his number, I’ll contact him. You can’t be alone right now.” “I’ve already reported that rescue team. People like that are a blight on society if they keep working!” I nodded, but when I spoke, only a whisper came out. “The baby’s father is dead.”

His face was filled with sympathy, and he offered to take care of me until I was discharged. I declined his kindness. I transferred him the hospital fees and surgery costs, then urged him to leave. Though he left, the online uproar continued to ferment. The topic of the rescue captain’s house catching fire carried its own buzz. It had already shot to the top of trending topics across all major platforms. The neighbor kindly posted a photo of me collapsed on the ground in the comments section. It instantly sparked heated discussion across the internet. Everyone was condemning the rescue team, asking if they only cared about putting out fires while ignoring a pregnant woman and the life in her belly. If so, they should be called a fire department, not shamelessly claim to be a rescue team. I scrolled through all the online abuse in the comments and felt that such punishment was still too light for Thomas. I opened the chat window, about to send him a message about divorce. But Mickey’s gloating message popped up first. Turned out she was in this hospital too, right on the floor below mine. In the photo, Thomas was personally feeding her porridge, carefully blowing on it again and again to make sure she wouldn’t burn herself. I’d seen countless photos of them intimately intertwined. Such images could no longer stir my emotions. I quietly closed the chat window and called Thomas. On the fifth try, he finally answered, his voice extremely impatient. “You still have the nerve to call me? What do you want? Asking if Mickey’s dead yet?” “Sorry to disappoint you! I already saved Mickey! She’s alive and well, right here in the hospital!” “Angel, knowing you all this time, I never imagined you were this kind of person. Do you know what you did? You tried to kill someone! Are you insane?” “I’m giving you one hour. Get down to the hospital room right now and apologize to her! Or else we’re getting divorced!” Before I could speak, Mickey’s pitiful sobbing came through the line. “Thomas, don’t blame Angel. It’s all my fault. If she says I started the fire, just accept it. Don’t argue with her—pregnant women can’t handle emotional stress.” Thomas let out a long sigh, disappointed. “You’re just too kind. That’s why she keeps walking all over you. We knew each other first. Who does Angel think she is? What right does she have to hurt you?” “Don’t worry about it. This time I’m definitely going to teach her a lesson!” While the two of them were being sickeningly sweet, I said calmly: “Fine, let’s get divorced. I agree. I’ll send you the papers right away. Remember to sign them.” Thomas clearly hadn’t expected me to bring up divorce first. After a moment of shock, his anger exploded. Just as he was about to lash out, I abruptly hung up. Before I could block his number, a barrage of text messages came flooding in. “Where are you? Angel, have you lost your mind today? I’ve been holding back because you’re pregnant, and now you’re pushing your luck?” “You think just because you’re pregnant I won’t dare divorce you? I’m afraid on the day you give birth you’ll have no one to sign the papers and you’ll have to crawl out of bed and beg me on your knees!” “And the news online—take it down immediately! Don’t make me expose your true face to the public!” I didn’t keep reading. I deleted all the messages and blocked his number.

Even though I’d already gone through the bloody lesson of my past life. Being betrayed by him again still made my heart ache involuntarily for a moment. The nurses who came in to change my bandages didn’t notice my expression and started chatting among themselves. “That man downstairs is so handsome. It’s the first time I’ve seen a couple so well-matched! I heard they’re childhood sweethearts, a campus romance. I’m so jealous.” “Your news is old. Latest update—Mr. Thomas spent a fortune to rent out an entire cafeteria window just so he can personally cook for his beloved wife every day!” “Just now when I went to apply her medicine, Mr. Thomas wouldn’t even let me touch her. He insisted on doing it himself. True love is so sweet!” I stared numbly at the needle marks on the back of my hand. My arm, with a layer of skin peeled off, was both painful and itchy. When they left, I felt relieved and gasped for oxygen, but somehow couldn’t draw it into my chest. That evening, the doctor came to see me and said my abdomen had suffered severe trauma. It would be very difficult for me to have children in the future. Hearing this, my first reaction was actually relief. At least without a child, he wouldn’t have to suffer with me. An innocent life deserved a better future. After everyone left the room, I took out my phone to check the latest developments online. The cyberbullying had escalated beyond control, forcing the rescue unit’s leadership to issue a statement. However, his explanation was that the fire was entirely staged by me, that I deliberately hurt someone out of jealousy. Not only did I waste the unit’s rescue resources, but I also got their captain criticized. In the video, the leader kept saying he hoped netizens would let this matter go. But every word was directing the source of the conflict toward me. To increase the video’s credibility, Thomas registered an account under his real name and posted our marriage certificate. His action completely sealed my fate in the wave of online abuse. The criticism that had been aimed at the rescue team suddenly turned toward me. My homepage was overwhelmed and banned by the platform. My attempts to explain were drowned in the netizens’ curses. Over the next few days, I could feel the hospital staff looking at me with hostility. If not for their professional ethics barely holding up, I probably would have been kicked out already. Every day I received packages from different places, all without exception containing threats. Faced with all this, I never offered a single word of explanation. Only on the day the doctor said I could be discharged did I send Thomas a message. “Let’s go to City Hall tomorrow and finalize things.” He seized this opening to call me back. “What, finally can’t hide anymore? Finally have the nerve to show your face? I warned you. I gave you a chance. You’re the one who refused to take down the online controversy. Don’t blame me for being merciless now!” “If Mickey hadn’t pleaded for you, I would have reported you to the police long ago!” “Fine, let’s divorce. When the child has no father, don’t come crying to me! If he becomes an orphan, it’s your own doing!” Before I could speak, he’d already hung up. I quietly opened our home security camera app and downloaded the footage of Mickey committing arson that day. Early the next morning, after checking out of the hospital, I headed straight to City Hall with my documents. But when the time came, it was Mickey who showed up. “I told you long ago, you can’t beat me. Your husband is nothing but my lapdog.” Looking at my abdomen, she feigned surprise. “Oh my, where’s the baby? What a shame. In the past life, killed by his own father. In this life, killed by his own father again. Having you as a mother, what a short-lived ghost…” She was reborn too?

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In my past life, after being recognized and brought back to the Williams family, I chose to study medicine to care for Wilson, the frail and sickly adopted heir. But he pretended his condition was worsening, accused me of refusing to save him, and tried to steal everything that was mine. My fiancée Patterson believed him and joined forces with Wilson to throw me out. Not long after, I contracted tuberculosis and died on the streets. When I woke again, I had returned to the day I was brought back to the Williams family at age five. Patterson blocked my parents’ path, pointing at me and saying: “You’ve got the wrong person. This boy isn’t your biological son at all.” After my parents left in disappointment, she handed me a piece of candy. “One heir is enough for the Williams family. Don’t even think about taking Wilson’s place.” Looking at the disgust on her face, I knew she had been reborn too. I clenched the candy tightly, its hard edges almost piercing my palm. Yes, in her eyes from my past life, I was nothing but a malicious, jealous person—a useless failure who couldn’t cure Wilson. Since Wilson’s condition still deteriorated because of me in the past life. Then in this new life, someone as calculating as me naturally had no need to be brought back to the Williams family. I smiled and held back my tears. I wiped my eyes hard, telling myself that Howard was dead. The one alive now was just me. I turned and walked back to my corner of the orphanage. Before long, a black sedan stopped at the entrance. The director led in an elderly man with white hair. All the children in the orphanage erupted with excitement, chattering like a flock of sparrows as they crowded around him, eagerly trying to show off. “Hello, sir!” “Sir, let me sing for you!” “Sir, look at my drawing!” Only I remained quietly in my inconspicuous corner, like an outsider. Mr. Johnson noticed me. He parted the crowd and walked toward me step by step, leaning on his cane. “Little one, why are you here all alone? Don’t they like you?” I shook my head and lifted my small face, holding out the candy that had grown warm in my grip. “Sir, have some candy.” I tried to display a composure and maturity beyond my years. He paused, clearly surprised. He took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth, a contented smile spreading across his face. “Mm, very sweet.” He looked at me deeply, then asked, “What’s your name?” “My name is Holmes.” “Holmes…” He repeated it, nodding. “Would you like to come home with me? To be my grandson.” The room instantly fell silent. All the children’s eyes focused on me, filled with envy. I didn’t hesitate for a moment and nodded firmly. “I would.” He burst into hearty laughter, his voice booming. “Good! Good! From today on, you’ll be called Holmes Johnson.” He took my hand, his palm warm and dry. “Holmes is a good name.” “Child, I hope you will become a priceless treasure.” I understood the value he placed on me and his expectations. In that moment, I gripped his hand tightly. I became the golden child of the Johnson family. Mr. Johnson treasured me like a precious jewel, personally teaching me to read and write and how to conduct myself in the world. Although his children were busy with work, they brought me various novel gifts every time they came home and genuinely cared about me. The one who doted on me most was my sister Jones, who was ten years older than me. When she first met me, her cool face broke into a gentle smile. “Nobody touches the Johnson family heir.” That was her constant refrain. Surrounded by such love, I almost forgot the pain of my past life. I studied diligently. From elementary school through high school, I was always first in my class. Competition trophies and certificates filled my room. In college, I chose medicine without hesitation. Because I knew Wilson’s illness was the eternal pain in the Williams family’s and Patterson’s hearts, and also a blade hanging over my head.

Twenty years later, I became one of the youngest and most renowned internal medicine doctors and medical researchers in the country. My days were peaceful and fulfilling. I thought the Williams family would disappear from my life forever. Until that day when my assistant knocked on my office door. “Dr. Holmes, there’s a woman named Patterson outside who specifically asked to see you.” “She says she wants you to examine her fiancé. She booked our most expensive specialist appointment.” Hearing that name, my heart seized uncontrollably for a moment. I took a deep breath, suppressing my emotions, my voice calm and level. “Let her in.” A woman with an aloof demeanor walked in. Her features had shed their youthful innocence, becoming more refined and sophisticated. The moment Patterson saw me, she froze. Those deep eyes filled with shock and disbelief. She never imagined that the medical expert she had searched so hard to find would be the very person she had abandoned twenty years ago. After a long pause, she finally found her voice, her tone full of doubt. “You… are Dr. Holmes?” I nodded. “Miss Patterson, please sit. Tell me about your fiancé’s condition.” But she acted as if she hadn’t heard me, scrutinizing me instead. “You’re really a doctor? How confident are you that you can cure my fiancé?” Her attitude made it seem like I was some charlatan. My assistant could barely stand listening and couldn’t help but speak up. “Ma’am, Dr. Holmes is the most authoritative expert in our hospital. His time is very valuable…” I looked at Patterson, a faint smile playing at the corners of my mouth. “It seems Miss Patterson doesn’t quite trust my professional abilities.” “In that case, let’s cancel this consultation.” “Paul, show her out.” Patterson’s face instantly turned ugly. She bit her lip, but in the end said nothing and turned to storm out. My assistant stomped his foot in frustration. “Dr. Holmes, that woman is so rude! Who does she think she is?” I smiled indifferently. “It’s fine, just an ordinary patient.” To me, this was indeed just an insignificant little episode. Because my life had long since ceased to have anything to do with them. After work, Patterson suddenly appeared at the entrance to the laboratory building, blocking my way. Her face wore a complex, grim expression. I immediately frowned. “Can I help you?” She stared at me intently, remaining silent for a long time before squeezing out words through gritted teeth. “Howard, I’m warning you.” “No matter what your status is now, don’t even think about hurting Wilson.” I almost laughed in anger. Twenty years ago, she had ruthlessly prevented my biological parents from bringing me back to the Williams family, and now she was calling me Howard again. Now she had sought me out herself, yet her first move was to warn me not to hurt Wilson? What made her think I would waste my time on someone like that? I looked at her like I was looking at an unreasonable lunatic. “Miss Patterson, my surname is Johnson. My name is Holmes Johnson. Please don’t get it wrong.” “Furthermore, I don’t know you, and I certainly don’t know your fiancé.” “As a doctor, my duty is to save people, not harm them.” “So why would I want to hurt a complete stranger I don’t even know?” Patterson froze, a flash of bewilderment crossing her face. “You don’t remember me?”

She seemed unable to accept this fact, her voice involuntarily rising. “Twenty years ago, at the orphanage entrance, I was the one who stopped your parents…” She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly cutting herself off, as if even she found that past behavior too shameful to mention. I watched her awkward expression, my heart utterly cold. Of course I remembered. I remembered every single look of disgust, every word of loathing. I remembered how she had personally pushed me away, severing all my illusions about love and family. But I would pretend not to remember. I pretended to think hard, then put on an expression of sudden realization. “Oh—” I deliberately drew out the sound. “So it was you.” I looked at her with an innocent smile. “I’m really sorry, but that was twenty years ago. It’s been too long—I forgot ages ago.” “After all, I have so much important research to do every day. How could I have time to remember such trivial matters?” Patterson’s face instantly turned ashen. Trivial matters? In her view, that had been the pivotal event that determined my fate. This hurt her more than outright insults would have. She gritted her teeth, saying unwillingly, “Stop playing dumb!” “Aren’t you harboring a grudge against me because I prevented the Williams family from adopting you back then?” “Now you want to find an opportunity to get revenge on me and Wilson?” I finally couldn’t hold back a scornful laugh. “Miss Patterson, aren’t you being a bit too full of yourself?” I dropped my smile, my eyes turning cold. “Revenge on you? Are you worth it?” “Come to think of it, I should actually thank you. If you hadn’t been so determined to stop them back then, how would I have had the chance to become Mr. Johnson’s grandson?” “How would I have my current achievements?” “So I should be thanking you—how could I possibly hate you?” Every word I spoke was light and breezy, yet each one stabbed into Patterson’s heart like a knife. She was left speechless, her face alternating between red and white. “Johnson? Stop spouting nonsense!” She immediately sneered. “You think just because your surname is Johnson, you’re related to the Johnson family?” “Stop dreaming. Someone like you could never step through the Johnson family’s door!” Just as she finished speaking, a black Bentley silently pulled up beside us. The door opened and an elegant, distinguished woman stepped out. She walked quickly to my side and naturally draped a coat over my shoulders. Without even glancing at Patterson, she gently ruffled my hair. “Holmes, why haven’t you left yet? Grandpa’s getting impatient.” Only then did her gaze fall on Patterson. “Holmes, who’s this?” I hooked my arm for Jones to take, smiling brightly. “Nothing, just a patient who came in today. We chatted for a bit.” Patterson completely froze in place. She looked at me and Jones’s intimate gestures in disbelief, then at the luxury car that proclaimed its owner’s status. She wasn’t stupid. She of course recognized Jones, the eldest princess of Johnson Corporation. She also of course knew that Jones had a younger brother who was treasured by the entire Johnson family. She just never dreamed that brother would be me. Images from her past life uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—that boy who always followed behind her, timidly calling her Patterson. And now, that boy was smiling radiantly as he offered his arm to another woman. While she stood there dazed, I had already gotten into Jones’s car.

The next day, my assistant told me Patterson had reapplied for a consultation appointment with me. While helping me organize files, my assistant complained. “Dr. Holmes, does this Patterson woman have some kind of problem?” “Two days ago she acted like she didn’t trust you, and today she’s eagerly coming back.” “I think she just saw you’re the Johnson family heir and wants to curry favor with you!” I just smiled and said nothing. I signed my name on the appointment application. I wanted to see what game she was playing now. At three in the afternoon, the Williams family arrived at my examination room with Wilson right on time. After twenty years, Wilson still looked as frail as he had in my past life. Patterson’s attitude was a hundred times better than last time. “Dr. Holmes, I was too impulsive last time. I’m sorry.” Wilson’s parents stood awkwardly to the side, looking at me with complicated expressions. I didn’t bother with them, my gaze falling directly on Wilson. “The patient stays. Family members, please wait outside.” The examination room door closed, blocking the view from outside. Only Wilson and I remained in the room. The frailty on his face instantly vanished without a trace. In its place was undisguised jealousy and malice. He looked me up and down, a mocking smile on his lips. “Howard—no, I should call you Holmes Johnson.” “Never expected this. You really do have nine lives.” “Kicked out by our family, yet you still managed to latch onto the Johnson family. What skills you have.” I looked at him calmly, like watching a clown. “Start the examination. Take off your shirt.” My indifference seemed to infuriate him. While slowly unbuttoning his shirt, he continued to provoke me with his sharp, venomous tone. “What? Think being a doctor makes you so great? Aren’t you still here to examine me?” “Let me tell you, so what if you’re the Johnson family heir now?” “In Patterson’s heart, you’ll never measure up to one of my fingers!” In my past life, he had been exactly like this—one face in public, another in private. In front of Patterson and the Williams parents, he was always the kind, sensible good younger brother. In private, he used the most vicious language to humiliate and trample me. He deliberately broke Mother’s favorite vase, then cried and said I had pushed him into it. He secretly tore up Father’s most important documents, then framed me for it. And I couldn’t defend myself. Every time, all I received was deeper disgust from Patterson and harsher punishment from my parents. But none of that mattered anymore. Living a second life, I had long since stopped caring about these ridiculous tricks. I gave him a thorough series of examinations—auscultation, palpation—every step meticulous. I suppressed my rising anger and glared fiercely at Wilson. He was startled by my expression and immediately became defensive. After completing all the examinations, I had him get dressed. With a dark expression, I walked out of the examination room without a word. Outside, the Williams family and Patterson were waiting anxiously. Seeing me emerge, Patterson was the first to rush over. “Dr. Holmes, Wilson… how is he?” Wilson’s mother, Brodie, even grabbed my arm, her eyes reddening. “Doctor, my son’s illness—is there any hope?” I looked impatient and said directly to Patterson in front of everyone: “Your fiancé’s illness is beyond what our hospital can treat!” The moment those words left my mouth, everyone’s breathing hitched. My assistant looked at me in disbelief. She had never seen me so decisively make such a pronouncement about any patient. This was completely unlike my usual way of doing things. Wilson’s father Yale and Brodie’s faces instantly lost all color. Brodie’s legs went weak and she nearly collapsed to the floor. “How can this be? How can it be untreatable? If even you can’t treat it, then Wilson…” Patterson’s face instantly filled with mockery. “Impossible! You’re the top expert. How could you not be able to treat it!” “You’re settling personal scores!” she shouted. Just then, Wilson also emerged from the examination room. Hearing my words, a flash of triumph crossed his eyes before he squeezed out a few tears. “Patterson, forget it. I knew my illness couldn’t be cured. I don’t blame Dr. Holmes…” I looked coldly at their family and dropped the other half of my statement. “Because Wilson—he’s not sick at all!”

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My mother died unexpectedly during surgery. During my darkest time, my boyfriend Wright stayed by my side. Later, I discovered that my mother’s surgery was performed by Wright’s childhood friend Chris. Chris was just an intern with no surgical qualifications. Yet Wright helped Chris hide this from me. I broke up with him and studied hard, becoming the nation’s finest neurosurgeon. Twenty years later, I received a surgical case. When I opened the patient file, I discovered the patient was Wright’s father. I said to my assistant: “I’m not doing this surgery!” “Dr. Lester, what do you mean?” My assistant Carlos was still frozen in place while I had already started packing up. “Change my flight for me.” “But… there’s not a second person in the country who can perform brainstem tumor surgery. If you leave, the patient will…” “I know, but I can’t take this case.” I pulled open the door and walked out of the conference room. Neville from Central Hospital’s neurosurgery department hurried over, forcing a smile onto his face. “Dr. Lester, I’m Neville from neurosurgery.” He extended his hand. I didn’t shake it. He awkwardly withdrew it, rubbing his hands together. “We’ve been preparing for this surgery for three months. It wasn’t easy getting you here from New York, and the patient’s family…” “Neville,” I cut him off directly, “I’ll submit my recusal in writing.” He froze for a moment, then leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “Dr. Lester, you may not understand the situation. This patient’s son is our associate director Wright, and his daughter-in-law is the former director Anderson’s daughter. If you just walk away like this, I won’t be able to explain it.” “That’s your problem.” I walked around him and continued toward the exit. Behind me, Neville took two steps forward, his tone becoming urgent. “Dr. Lester, at least give me a reason so I can respond to the family. Is there a problem with the surgical plan? Are you dissatisfied with our surgical conditions? Equipment, team, post-operative care—name your requirements and we’ll fully cooperate!” “I’m not dissatisfied with anything. The surgery itself is possible, but someone else needs to do it.” “Is it a cost issue then? The family said cost isn’t a problem. Name your price!” “It’s not about the money.” Before he could continue, I cut him off. “Neville, my decision won’t change.” Just before the elevator doors closed, Neville finally snapped out of it and pulled out his phone to make a call. Carlos followed me downstairs, jogging all the way to the parking lot. “Dr. Lester, what’s going on?” He blocked the car door, his forehead covered in sweat. “This isn’t like you. What surgery haven’t you taken on? You’ve encountered far more dangerous situations before. Today, just one medical record and…” “Carlos.” I looked at him. He stopped talking. “You’ve been with me for four years. Have you ever seen my hands shake during surgery?” “No.” “What if I told you that for this surgery, I’m certain my hands would shake from nerves?” Carlos frowned, hesitating to speak. “Neurosurgery can’t tolerate half a millimeter of error.” Twenty years. I spent twenty years making my hands absolutely steady. Even after twelve hours of continuous surgery, my margin of error never exceeds three millimeters. My colleagues all think I’m a precision instrument, unnaturally calm in any situation. But today, when I saw that name and that face, my heart still couldn’t remain calm. Twenty years ago, because of a half-centimeter error, my mother was left there forever. My phone vibrated. It was an unknown number. “Hello, Dr. Lester. I’m the patient’s family member. I heard you refused the surgery. Could we meet in person?” I didn’t know who sent this message, but I knew Wright must be among the family members. I didn’t reply. Soon, a second text came in: [For a doctor, the worst thing isn’t surgical failure—it’s refusing to save a life.]

“Dr. Lester, please wait! The former director’s daughter insists on meeting you in person no matter what!” Neville was now blocking my car directly, looking like he’d fight to the death to stop me. “Chris?” “You know her?” Of course I did. Wright’s wife, Director Anderson’s only daughter. Twenty years ago she was still a student, throwing her weight around the hospital because of her father’s position. “No, I’ve just heard the name.” Neville sighed. “This patient’s son Wright is Chris’s husband. He’s also our state’s neurosurgery… well, associate chief physician.” He chose his words carefully, speaking to me with great caution. “Dr. Lester, I know you must have your reasons. But if this blows up, it won’t be good for either of us. How about you don’t leave yet, and let the family come meet you first?” “I don’t need to talk anymore.” “Dr. Lester!” Neville was getting desperate now, leaning right up to my car window. “Dr. Lester, please listen. Chris and Director Wright’s family has excellent background and resources. Whatever concerns or conditions you have, you can state them. I’m sure they’ll do their best to accommodate you. But if I let you leave without a word today, whether it’s you or me, we’ll both have considerable trouble.” “Just consider it helping me out. Even if you just meet with the Anderson family and Director Wright once!” “Neville, I won’t take the case. Just report it up the chain. The hospital will coordinate another expert. Wouldn’t that be faster?” He gave a bitter smile. “You’re the top-ranked expert. If you refuse, the people after you won’t dare take it either.” I was about to reassure him when my phone rang. “Hello, is this Lester?” An unfamiliar female voice, but I didn’t need an introduction to know who it was. “I’m the patient’s daughter-in-law, Chris. I heard you refused to perform surgery on my father-in-law. I’d like to speak with you in person. Are you available tomorrow morning?” I struggled to suppress my emotions. When I didn’t speak, she continued. “Whatever you’re thinking, you looked at the file and left without any explanation. That doesn’t exactly follow protocol. Let’s meet?” “I’ll submit written documentation in a timely manner.” “Isn’t meeting faster than you submitting documentation? What is it you don’t dare discuss in person?” Chris’s tone was starting to carry anger. She thought I was just putting on airs. “Fine. I’ll come to the hospital again tomorrow.” My tone returned to calm. Perhaps it was time to settle certain things. “Good. My husband Director Wright and I will both come tomorrow.” “No problem.” Neville finally breathed a sigh of relief when I agreed. “Dr. Lester, see you tomorrow then!” He bowed slightly, then turned and left. I sat back down and glanced at Carlos. “Cancel the flight. I’m not leaving.”

Early the next morning, I arrived at the conference room to wait. Before long, a woman in a coat strode in purposefully. A man followed behind her, still with that composed demeanor. Even after twenty years, I could recognize him at a glance. I’d imagined countless scenarios of seeing him again, yet I still felt the urge to rush forward and settle things with him. “You’re Dr. Lester?” The woman scanned the room, her gaze finally settling on me. Neville quickly stood up. “Ms. Chris, this is Dr. Lester. Dr. Lester, this is…” “You’re Dr. Lester?” Chris interrupted him, walking straight up to me. She didn’t recognize me. The girl who cried herself unconscious outside the morgue twenty years ago bore little resemblance to the doctor who had published six authoritative neurosurgery papers. “Dr. Lester, what’s the meaning of this? You just decide not to do it? We confirmed the schedule with your team three days ago. The equipment is calibrated, the care plan is ready, and now you’re backing out?” “Ms. Chris, I already told Neville I’d submit a report.” “Submit what report?” She laughed. “You can perform far more difficult surgeries flawlessly, but this one scares you?” Wright saw the atmosphere turning sour and immediately tried to smooth things over. “Dr. Lester, I’m the patient’s son, Wright. I understand you may have your own considerations, but my father’s condition is truly urgent. If it’s about the cost…” “It’s not about the cost.” “Then what is it?” Chris slammed her bag on the table. Neville quickly stepped forward. “Ms. Chris, calm down. Dr. Lester may really be…” “She may really be what? A top neurosurgeon turns and walks away from a patient waiting to be saved?” She turned to stare at me. “Let me tell you something, Lester. My father may be retired, but he’s still an advisory committee member for Health and Human Services. One phone call and I can make you…” “Chris.” Wright grabbed her arm and lowered his voice. “Calm down.” Then he looked at me with an apologetic smile. I knew that smile well. Twenty years ago at the morgue entrance, he’d comforted me with the same expression: “Lester, you have to be strong.” Then he turned around and got engaged to Chris, while my appeal materials were sent back rejected. “Dr. Lester, I don’t know your real reason for refusing. But as a colleague, I believe you’re a person with medical ethics. My father…” I couldn’t listen to his words, so I spoke directly. “Dr. Wright, my decision won’t change because of anyone’s persuasion.” Chris’s face darkened completely. “Fine. You’re quite something. You’re the expert, you’re impressive. Well, let me tell you—tomorrow the state expert committee is meeting to discuss this. I hope you maintain this attitude.” She picked up her bag and dropped one more line as she turned. “The people I despise most in my life are those who gain a little skill and start putting on airs. Doctors saving lives is a given. It’s not your place to pick and choose.” Her heels clicked against the floor, the sound fading away. Wright hesitated for a moment, then spoke to me. “Dr. Lester, I apologize. My wife has a quick temper. Please think it over carefully. My number is always available.” Neville didn’t dare breathe until Wright left. “Dr. Lester, why put yourself through this? Even if you have concerns, you could discuss them properly…” “Neville, I do have my reasons. There’s no way I can perform this surgery.” “Alright then… You’d better prepare well for tomorrow. I’m afraid she won’t let this go.” I nodded and called for Carlos to prepare to leave. Whether Chris would let it go, I didn’t know. But tomorrow, I wasn’t planning to let it go either.

“Dr. Lester, your reason for not performing this surgery is?” The speaker was Pearson, deputy director of Health and Human Services. The next morning, the expert committee meeting. In attendance besides the hospital’s department heads were two representatives sent by Health and Human Services. “I cannot guarantee absolute composure during the operation.” “What do you mean you can’t guarantee it?” Pearson flipped through the materials in front of him. “Dr. Lester, I’ve reviewed your record. In the past three years, you’ve performed forty-seven high-difficulty surgeries with a one hundred percent success rate. How can you not be confident?” “This one, I’m not.” “Why?” I didn’t answer immediately. The other representative interjected. “Dr. Lester, we understand every doctor has their own judgment. But this case is rather special. The patient’s surgical window is very short. If you don’t take it, the patient’s survival rate is essentially zero.” “My personal refusal doesn’t mean there are no other options. You can contact other teams.” Pearson cleared his throat. “We’ve contacted them all. Only you have both the capability and the time.” “I can’t do it.” “Can’t do it and don’t want to do it are two different things, Dr. Lester.” The door was pushed open. Chris walked in, followed by Wright and an elderly man with a cane. The old man appeared to be in his seventies, his face waxy yellow but his back ramrod straight. “Director Anderson, why did you come?” Neville stood up. Anderson was his former supervisor. “It’s about Carter. I can’t not be involved.” Anderson slowly walked to the table and sat down, glancing at me. “Dr. Lester,” Anderson coughed lightly. “I worked at this hospital for forty years. Mr. Carter is my old partner, my old friend. His illness can’t be delayed.” “Director Anderson, I understand your feelings. But—” “Let me finish first.” He raised his hand, stopping me. “I know you’re a top expert from New York. Your time is valuable, your skills remarkable. But in this profession, the most important thing isn’t just skill.” He stared at me, his eyes cloudy yet sharp. “The most important thing is conscience.” Chris stood behind her father, her expression still cold and haughty. Wright sat nearby, his expression pained and earnest. “I’m refusing the surgery precisely because of my conscience.” “How so?” “Brainstem surgery has extremely strict requirements for the chief surgeon’s psychological state. Any emotional fluctuation could lead to intraoperative errors. I’ve assessed my own condition. I cannot remain absolutely calm.” “Are you saying you have personal feelings toward my father?” Wright frowned, his tone somewhat surprised. “Dr. Lester, to my knowledge, we should have no prior connection.” I looked at him. He looked at me, his gaze frank and without guilt. No connection. He didn’t recognize me, yet I’d remembered him for twenty years. “Whether there’s a connection doesn’t matter.” I took a light sip of tea. “What matters is that once I’m in the operating room, I cannot ensure one hundred percent focus. On that point alone, I shouldn’t take this case.” Pearson impatiently tapped the table. “Dr. Lester, let’s speak plainly. There is no regulation that allows a doctor to refuse surgery without reason. If you can’t find a clear recusal basis, this is dereliction of duty.” “Director Pearson, the Medical Practitioners Law…” “Don’t quote regulations at me.” He slammed his pen on the table. “Let me lay out the situation. Tomorrow, every major medical media outlet will follow this story. The top expert flies over a thousand miles to perform surgery, looks at the medical record, and walks away. Do you think that’s appropriate?” I didn’t speak. Chris stepped forward. “Dr. Lester, maybe my words yesterday were too harsh. I apologize. But think about it—if this gets out, that you refused to save a life, how will you live with yourself going forward?” Wright also stood up and bowed to me. “Dr. Lester, if my father and I have done anything to make you uncomfortable, I apologize. I also understand your concerns. How about this—we’ll double the surgical fee. For your peace of mind, I personally…” “Dr. Wright,” I interrupted him, “can you answer one question for me?” He froze, then nodded. “Please, go ahead.” “Your father practiced medicine for forty years. How many surgeries did he perform?” “Over a thousand. He was the founder of our state’s neurosurgery department.” Wright straightened his chest as he said this. “Of those thousand-plus surgeries, were there many failures?” The conference room atmosphere froze. Wright’s gaze didn’t waver, but he hesitated for a moment. “All surgeries carry risk. None can be one hundred percent successful.” “What happened to the families of the patients who didn’t make it?” “Dr. Lester, that has nothing to do with the current matter.” “Is that so.” I stood up and picked up my bag. “Then my refusal also has nothing to do with the current matter. Everyone, excuse me.” Behind me came Chris’s shrill voice. “Go ahead and leave! Once you leave, don’t think about coming back. I’ll let the entire industry know that New York’s Dr. Lester is someone who refuses to save lives!” I pushed open the door. Carlos still couldn’t help leaning close to my ear. “Dr. Lester, how about… you tell me the truth. Why won’t you do this surgery?” I turned to look at her. Three years ago, fresh out of graduate school, she’d sent out over a hundred resumes with no offers. I was the one who recruited her to the team. She trusted me and understood me. But this matter—I’d never told her. “Carlos.” “Yes.” “Twenty years ago, this hospital’s neurosurgery department had a man-made medical accident. The patient was named Charlotte.” Her expression slowly changed. “Charlotte… was she your…?” “My mother.” She froze, not knowing what to say. “The chief surgeon was Carter—the man now lying in a hospital bed waiting for me to save him.” Carlos stood there, unable to speak for a long time. “Prepare a formal recusal application for me. Tomorrow at the ethics committee meeting, I’ll explain it myself.” When I reached the main entrance, Carlos called out softly behind me. “Dr. Lester, would your hands… really shake?” I clenched my fist and sighed. “As long as that face appears in front of me, I can’t control it.”

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On Diana’s birthday, a woman who was my husband’s first love, I became the special guest without knowing what was in store. My husband Zachary Brown personally selected me to perform a high-altitude bungee jump. “I can’t do this…” Before I could finish, Zachary Brown pressed down on my shoulder and called two people over. “You don’t get a choice.” Just like that, I was forcibly dragged onto the high platform and strapped into crude bungee equipment. Looking at the crowd below, I trembled all over, my legs too weak to support me. I begged pitifully: “I’m afraid of heights. Please let me down.” But all I saw was Zachary Brown with his arm around Diana, laughing so hard they could barely stand. “Lily, you’re quite the actress. You used to climb trees to rescue cats. Now you’re playing the coward?” With that, he pressed the switch without hesitation. I screamed in terror. My heart raced faster and faster from the stimulation, then a sharp pain shot through me, and I plunged completely into darkness.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself floating in mid-air. I looked down wordlessly at everything below, including myself. Instantly, I realized I was dead. But Diana still wouldn’t let me go. She leaned against the railing, her face full of mockery. “Why’d you stop screaming? Did Xincheng call you out and now you’re too embarrassed?” Zachary Brown sneered: “She definitely feels humiliated. She’s playing dead.” “I want to see how long she can keep up this act. Turn up the intensity.” But I wasn’t pretending. I’d truly had a heart attack and died on that platform. The corpse on the bungee cord showed extreme terror—eyes wide open, face blue and purple. The mockery continued below. They laughed and joked, but no one was willing to come closer for a look. No one noticed that the person who’d been crying for help moments ago had already stopped breathing. Zachary Brown was right. I had climbed a tree before, just to rescue a cat stuck in its branches. But that was because the cat was a keepsake from my grandmother. Perhaps because I’d been silent for so long, Diana grew impatient and shouted at me: “Stop playing dead!” “If you ruin my birthday mood, can you afford to make it up to me?” Hearing this, my spirit form showed a sardonic smile. Whenever I didn’t do what they wanted, Diana would mock me like this about my poor background and lack of money. Zachary Brown quickly chimed in: “Stop this act. If you don’t move, you’ll spend the night up there!” As the machine operated, my corpse swayed with the rope, looking utterly pathetic, yet remaining completely silent. I floated beside everyone, shouting loudly that I was dead, but no one could hear me. Perhaps angered by my silence, Zachary Brown sneered and gave an order directly. “Set it to maximum power. Since you want to play, I’ll let you play to your heart’s content!” I wanted to stop Zachary Brown. I reached out, but my hand passed straight through his body. “This is such a buzzkill. I don’t want to watch her swing around on my birthday. Let’s find another place.” Hearing this, Zachary Brown put his arm around Diana’s waist and headed out. Seeing the main players leave, the others dispersed as well. Only a corpse remained, hanging from the high platform, mechanically swaying up and down under the machine’s operation. Watching Zachary Brown’s retreating back, my heart grew colder inch by inch. My eye sockets were empty—nothing could flow from them. That’s right. How could a soul have tears? Just as I thought I’d rot here until I scared the cleaning staff into screaming and the police would take over… An invisible force suddenly grabbed my soul. I couldn’t break free at all. I could only be forcibly dragged away from the terrace, floating in the direction Diana and Zachary Brown had gone. I was like a puppet on strings, involuntarily following their car through the streets and alleys, stopping outside the home Zachary Brown and I had lived in for five years. The house was Zachary Brown’s premarital purchase, but the decoration was all my work, done bit by bit with my own hands. Having lived here for five years, every corner held memories of him and me, and our son Ethan Brown. At this moment, I watched helplessly as Diana held Zachary Brown’s arm, chatting and laughing as they walked through the front door. Zachary Brown casually tossed aside his coat, rubbing his temples and complaining: “Today was fun, but Lily playing dead really killed the mood.” Diana naturally leaned against him. Her tone was gentle, but I could see the malice hidden in her eyes. “Don’t worry about her. If she’s in a bad mood, let her be. She’ll probably come back tomorrow. Don’t let her ruin yours.” Zachary Brown didn’t comment either way. He turned and went into the bathroom, not avoiding this childhood friend at all.

Diana, perhaps out of shame, didn’t follow him in after all. Instead, she walked over to my and Zachary Brown’s wedding photo. Back then, I believed Zachary Brown and I were truly in love. Holding his hand, I smiled so happily, my eyes full of hope for the future. Diana’s fingertips traced across my face, creating a grating sound as they rubbed against the glass protective cover. “Lily, you thought marrying him meant you won? Turns out I’ve been playing you like a dog.” From her resentful words, I learned everything. The “sister” was just Zachary Brown’s excuse. Diana was his first love. Unfortunately, after the SAT exams, the Brown family faced bankruptcy, so the two broke up and Diana went abroad. That’s when Zachary Brown and I met and got to know each other, going from rags to riches together. “You’re just a girl from the slums. What right did you have to marry him and bear Ethan Brown? But now that you’re dead, everything will return to its proper course.” Hearing this, I felt thunderstruck. So I’d been naive all along. Everything today was actually a carefully orchestrated murder plot by Diana! Everything today was never an accident—it was a kill scheme Diana had carefully set up! I knew Diana didn’t like me. From the moment she returned to the country six months ago, she’d been making things difficult for me at every turn. Because of my background, I was already unpopular in their circle. Her targeting made things even worse. Now everything was clear. She didn’t want Zachary Brown, but she couldn’t stand someone inferior to her taking him away. So she used the birthday party to set up the bungee jump, deliberately provoking me and driving me to my death. She had indeed succeeded. I was dead. “You thought Zachary Brown truly loved you?” Diana’s lips curled into mockery: “Back then, you were already his best option.” Learning that Zachary Brown had told Diana these things in bed as pillow talk, sadness swept over me like a violent wind. Over the years, countless people had told me he chose me because of my ordinary background—that I was obedient and easy to control. But I firmly believed Zachary Brown and I had love. Now with the fig leaf torn away, I thought of how Zachary Brown’s parents had shown disdain from the very beginning. They’d never accepted me. I couldn’t help but think of my son Ethan Brown. Did he also despise having my blood running through his veins? The bathroom door opened. Zachary Brown came out in a bathrobe. Seeing her staring at the wedding photo, he frowned. “Why are you staring at that photo?” Diana’s expression changed in a flash. She immediately hid the hatred on her face, took his hand, and said with a coquettish laugh that she wanted to take matching wedding photos. “If my parents hadn’t forced me onto that plane abroad, we’d be the ones in that photo.” At her words, Zachary Brown’s eyes flickered. He turned his head to avoid her gaze, his tone dismissive: “Don’t be ridiculous. I have a wife.” Then he pulled away from Diana’s hand and sat on the sofa to scroll through his phone. But he deliberately avoided looking at the wedding photo, making him appear both guilty and hypocritical. Watching this scene, I found it utterly ironic. I was already dead, and I now knew the vows before marriage and those five years of affection were all fake. Zachary Brown wanting to play the devoted, loyal husband now—this hypocrisy disgusted me even more than Diana’s malice.

Just then the door lock turned. Ethan Brown, awakened by the noise, walked in rubbing his eyes, calling out sweetly for Daddy and Aunt Diana. For the first time since becoming a soul, I felt this excited. I desperately floated toward him. I wanted to hold him. I was calling to him. But he couldn’t see me or hear me. He ran straight to Diana, hugged her legs, and asked: “Aunt Diana, where’s Mom? Why don’t I see her?” Diana, who usually had no patience for children, crouched down and coaxed him gently. “Mommy went to a friend’s house to play. She’ll be back in a few days.” Ethan Brown nodded like an obedient child. But I watched as he leaned close to Diana’s ear and asked softly: “Aunt Diana, now that the obstacle is removed, can you be my mom?” The obstacle he mentioned—was that me? No one knew how I felt at this moment. It was like a knife tip stabbing into my heart, then twisting back and forth. I never imagined my own son would wish for my death, see me as an obstacle between him and Diana. Diana smiled and nodded in response, then kissed his forehead. “Good boy. From now on, I’ll always be with you and Daddy.” Ethan Brown clapped happily: “That’s great! Mom always embarrasses me. I’ve wanted Auntie to be my mom for so long.” Zachary Brown heard everything clearly but remained unmoved, still looking down at his phone. I also recalled why I’d gone to Diana’s birthday party in the first place—thanks to my dear son. He’d begged and pleaded with me, saying I didn’t fit in with the other parents, which made his classmates ignore him too. If I didn’t go this time, his classmates would definitely laugh at him. It had all been a trap. He’d personally pushed me toward death. Hatred instantly engulfed me. My soul felt like it was being torn apart in pain. Perhaps my desire to leave had reached its peak. A powerful force suddenly erupted from within, and I actually broke free from the invisible control. The next second, my soul plummeted, returning to the area around my body. Inside the swaying garbage truck, I lay among piles of trash and discarded props that gave off a pungent stench. The driver’s conversation reached my ears: “This model prop looks so realistic, just like a real person. Let’s take it to the landfill and dump it.” So they’d mistaken my corpse for a discarded prop. No matter how much I screamed and shouted, no one could hear the sounds I made. I could only let the truck drive toward the garbage landfill. An hour later, the vehicle finally stopped. My corpse was roughly dragged out of the truck and thrown into the garbage pile. Flies swarmed around. Stray dogs prowled nearby. A huge garbage truck slowly approached. Trash poured down, completely burying the body. My consciousness fell into darkness once more. When I woke again, my soul was dragged by that force back home. In the living room, Zachary Brown and Diana were arguing, both looking terrible. “This is all your fault. Now Lily’s missing, and I won’t have a date for tomorrow’s banquet. Everyone will laugh at me!” Recently, he’d been busy with a new project. The client who could finalize the deal was a female CEO. Zachary Brown had told me this CEO always chose partners who were devoted family men. Not being able to attend this banquet would definitely leave a bad impression on her. No wonder Zachary Brown was so irritated. Diana retorted indignantly: “How was I supposed to know she’d get down from the platform herself and run away? How about I go with you?” “No way!” Zachary Brown flatly refused: “Not bringing anyone, I can still explain. But if I bring you…” He cut himself off, but I understood. He was afraid people would say he was having an affair.

Diana’s tears came instantly: “For you, I’ve become a mistress who can’t see the light of day. We even have to hide just to hold hands, and now you’re blaming me for venting my emotions…” Zachary Brown was always one to feel sorry for women. He didn’t last three seconds before surrendering. I floated nearby. For some reason, strong unease welled up in my heart. Time moved forward silently amid my anxiety. Until this day, when Zachary Brown’s phone rang. After taking the call, his expression changed dramatically. He grabbed his coat and rushed out. “Lily actually dared to kidnap Diana. I absolutely won’t let her get away with this!” He was certain I wasn’t dead. He was convinced the person the kidnappers on the phone called “Miss Li” was me. Zachary Brown frantically dialed my number, but it kept going to voicemail. “Since you’re so vicious, don’t blame me for punishing you.” He slammed the accelerator. The sports car had already sped far into the distance. I desperately chased after him, screaming at the top of my lungs for him not to go, but he couldn’t hear me. In the old residential complex, Zachary Brown kicked the door open and severely questioned my father who’d come at the noise. “Where’s Lily? Did she kidnap Diana? Hand her over!” My father looked completely confused, not understanding what he was talking about, but still tried to explain. “I was going to ask you where our Lily is. We haven’t seen her all day. Today’s my birthday. Every year she comes to spend it with me. How could she possibly have time to kidnap someone?” My mother looked worried, convinced I must have run into trouble. “That’s right. It’s this late and Lily still hasn’t come home. Something must have happened!” Unfortunately, Zachary Brown didn’t believe them. He shoved my father aside and rushed inside, ransacking the place, convinced my parents were harboring me. But he found nothing. In his frenzy, he grabbed my father by the collar and slammed him against the wall. My mother tried to stop him, but he pushed her away too. Her forehead hit the corner of a table, blood seeping out. “If you don’t hand her over today, I won’t be polite!” Zachary Brown, consumed by rage, had his bodyguards beat my elderly parents. Even as they were beaten black and blue, my parents refused to tell a single lie. They insisted bitterly that I could never do such a thing. “Don’t you know what kind of person our daughter is?” I floated nearby, watching them endure such torment while I could do nothing. My soul felt like it was about to shatter from the pain. I could only watch helplessly as my father, driven to desperation, pulled my mother to the window. “Zachary Brown, we’re not hiding Lily.” I screamed with all my soul not to, but they couldn’t hear me.

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To give my son a complete family, I endured Gideon’s three affairs. After the school’s Children’s Day family performance ended, he finally came clean with me. “While you were jumping around on stage in that mascot costume, I had her pinned against the curtain backstage.” “She’s shy, so she held back her voice. Then you tripped and fell, and she finally let out a moan.” Following his reminiscent gaze, I looked across at the woman handing out candy to the children. Her name was Lily, a student from a poor family I’d sponsored for four years until she became a preschool teacher. Just moments ago, she’d said to me with tears in her eyes: “Sutton, if Gideon ever treats you badly, I’ll be the first to stand up for you.” Gideon blocked my line of sight, his tone contemptuous. “Now it’s your turn to choose. Keep celebrating with our son… or like before, get a divorce?” I looked at my son throwing himself into Lily’s arms, and suddenly felt utterly disgusted. This rotten husband and son — I didn’t want either of them anymore.

“Why her of all people?” My hands trembled as I fought to keep my voice steady. Gideon just laughed lightly. “Sutton, don’t play dumb.” “Lily is young and vibrant. She understands me… All the women around you know how to act sweet better than you…” “Not like you, spending every day obsessing over the kid and nagging about trivial nonsense.” This self-righteous arrogance disgusted me more than the affair itself. “Mommy!” Seven-year-old Mason rushed over, clutching a handful of colorful candies. He stuffed the candy into his pocket and pointed at the lunch box I was carrying, complaining. “Mom, the lunch you made tastes awful. It’s all vegetables with no flavor at all.” Mason pouted and held up his candy like a treasure. “Lily’s candy is so sweet! She said she’ll bring me some every day from now on.” I looked at the cheap, dye-filled candy in his hand and reached to take it away. “Mason, your cough hasn’t healed yet. You can’t eat anything this sweet…” Mason pushed my hand away, his little face scrunched up as he hid behind Gideon, muttering under his breath. “Mom, are you going to make a scene about divorce again…” “Today is my special day. Can’t you just let me enjoy it?” Even my son had grown accustomed to calling my pain “making a scene.” I stood frozen in place, my whole body cold. Just then, Lily walked over with tears in her eyes. “Sutton, I’m sorry…” She bit her lower lip, her voice timid. “Gideon and I just got confused for a moment. Don’t blame him — it’s all my fault.” While crying, she naturally crouched down and pulled Mason into her arms, gently patting his back. “Don’t be scared, Mason. The adults will handle adult problems. Lily will always be on your side.” Mason hugged her neck tightly, nodding repeatedly. Right in front of several other parents, Gideon reached out and put his arm around Lily’s shoulders, half-sheltering her in his embrace. “Sutton Reed, today is Children’s Day. If you want to fight, do it at home.” I held back from making a scene until the crowd gradually dispersed. I reached out to take Mason’s hand and bring him home. But he forcefully shook me off and ran straight to Lily. He looked up at her, his eyes full of anticipation. “Lily, can you come to our house for dinner tonight?”

That evening, Gideon actually brought Lily home. Lily changed into a pair of pink bunny slippers — the ones Gideon had bought just a few days ago. When I’d asked him why he bought women’s size small slippers, he’d said the supermarket was having a sale and he’d grabbed them randomly. She walked into the kitchen like she owned the place and pulled fried chicken and sweet sauce from a bag. “Mason, come wash your hands! Your favorite fried chicken is here!” She smiled sweetly, but her eyes held a hint of provocation. “Gideon specifically told me Mason’s been craving this, so he asked me to bring some over.” I stood in the entryway, watching her naturally open the dish cabinet and take out plates and utensils. I suddenly realized Gideon had already given another woman a rehearsal of this home. At the dinner table, Mason ate with grease all over his mouth, not even glancing at the vegetables I’d made. “Mom’s food has no flavor at all. Lily’s food is so much better.” As he gnawed on a chicken leg, he proclaimed loudly. I frowned, looking at the dipping sauce. “Mason is allergic to peanuts. Does that sauce have peanut pieces in it?” Lily immediately put down her fork and knife and looked at Gideon with an aggrieved expression. “Sutton, I checked the ingredient list. There are absolutely no peanuts.” “Are you being too sensitive, or do you think I’d deliberately harm Mason?” Gideon reached out and ruffled Mason’s hair, his tone clearly dissatisfied. “Sutton Reed, stop being so paranoid all the time.” “It’s because you’re constantly on edge that you’ve raised the kid to be so fragile.” “Lily is a professional preschool teacher. Don’t you think she knows these things? Stop making mountains out of molehills.” Watching Gideon’s self-righteous attitude, watching their “happy family of three”… I found this meal impossible to swallow. After dinner, Lily voluntarily took over dishwashing duties. When I walked into the kitchen to get water, she was rolling up her sleeves, deliberately exposing an old silver bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet had a distinctive design with a small star charm dangling from it. It was my wedding anniversary gift from Gideon three years ago. I’d really liked it at the time and wore it for a long time, only putting it away after the clasp broke. “That bracelet…” I walked to the kitchen doorway, my voice tight. Lily continued washing dishes while saying softly: “Gideon said you don’t like these feminine things, that it was just gathering dust in a drawer, so he gave it to me.” Every sentence sounded like an apology, but every word was declaring her claim over this man. “That’s fine. You can wear it…” I walked out of the kitchen with my water glass. Gideon grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the balcony. He closed the sliding door, lit a cigarette, and looked at me coldly through the smoke. “Sutton Reed, I’m warning you — stop throwing divorce around so casually.” “Do you think divorce is some kind of fun game?” He exhaled a smoke ring and began recounting our three previous remarriages. “The first time, Mason had a high fever in the middle of the night. You couldn’t handle it alone and called me crying, begging me to come back.” “The second time, your mom’s high blood pressure sent her to the hospital. She needed someone to run around paying bills. Who did all that?” “And the third time… You can’t leave this home, and you can’t leave me.” “Lily is understanding and obedient. She won’t threaten your position. You’d better be smart and not make things worse.” Every time I’d softened, every compromise I’d made for the sake of our child and family, had become his ammunition to humiliate me today. Back in the bedroom, I opened the bottom drawer. Inside lay three divorce certificates, neatly arranged, along with three remarriage registration photos. In each photo, Gideon smiled with deep affection. And I, each time, had foolishly believed he’d truly changed. But it turned out he’d just grown more certain that I would never leave. Late that night, I got up for water and passed by the children’s room. The door was slightly ajar. Lily’s hushed voice came from inside: “Mason, if Mommy and Daddy really separate, who would you want to stay with?” I stopped in my tracks and held my breath. The room fell silent for a long time. Then I heard the son I’d risked my life to bring into this world say: “I want to stay with Daddy and Lily.”

Early the next morning, I took a shift-change request to the kindergarten principal’s office. I didn’t want Mason to continue staying in Lily’s class. I was afraid she would corrupt him. But the principal looked at my request with difficulty. “Sutton, actually Lily is quite attentive to Mason normally.” “Besides, I’ve heard from other parents that you manage the child too strictly. The kid is under a lot of pressure.” I froze. “Other parents?” Walking out of the office, several parents who were usually active in the group chat immediately surrounded me. “Sutton, it’s actually normal for young teachers to be close with children. Don’t be too sensitive.” “Exactly. Every mom struggles with childcare these days. If a teacher is willing to pay extra attention, you should count yourself lucky.” Only then did I understand — Lily had long ago painted me as a controlling woman in everyone’s eyes. Walking to the end of the hallway, Lily suddenly emerged from the storage room and cornered me. “Sutton, do you know why Gideon likes me?” I looked at her coldly. “Because you’re cheap enough.” She didn’t get angry. She said softly, “Gideon says I’m like you when you were young. But he also says you’ve become too boring.” She took a step forward. “Actually, Gideon has talked to me a lot about you.” “Like that college roommate of yours, and the postpartum caregiver when you were in confinement, and your former dance partner.” “Gideon said every one of them understood him better in bed than you do, knew better how to make him happy.” Lily laughed brightly. “Sutton Reed, you really are a failure as a person.” My brain exploded with a roar. All those years of what I’d thought were misunderstandings and coincidences had actually been humiliations Gideon left for me. At noon when I got home, I threw my bag hard onto the sofa and confronted Gideon, who’d just gotten off work. “Is what Lily said true?” “My college best friend suddenly going abroad, the postpartum caregiver bringing you soup in the middle of the night, my dance partner leaving the group chat — was it all because of you?” Gideon’s hand paused as he loosened his tie. He frowned impatiently. “Sutton Reed, what are you freaking out about? Those are all things from the past. Is it necessary to dig up old accounts?” He stepped closer to me. “Didn’t you always know what kind of person I am?” “All these years, haven’t you been the one clinging shamelessly to this family, insisting on giving the child a complete home?” Those years of what I’d thought were misunderstandings, what I’d thought were broken friendships — they’d all been Gideon’s chronic humiliation of me. That evening, Mason came home from school. He was carefully cradling a handmade award medal made from colored cardstock. As soon as he walked in, he shouted excitedly. “Daddy, look! Isn’t the medal I made pretty? On Friday, the class is having a family activity for me!” I walked over to look at his work. But he took a big step backward, clutching the medal protectively to his chest. “Don’t touch it! Don’t mess up the little flowers on top — Lily helped me paste them on.” My hand, frozen in midair, slowly withdrew. On the back of the medal, written crookedly in marker, was a line: Daddy, Me, Lily. Mason hugged the medal to his chest, glanced up at me, and added softly: “Mom, can you not come to Friday’s activity?” “I’m afraid if you come, you’ll get upset again and make Lily angry.”

I went to Friday’s family activity anyway. The classroom was decorated warmly and festively. Each child went onstage to display their drawing of “My Family.” When it was Mason’s turn, he proudly held up his drawing. I wasn’t in the picture. Only him, Gideon, and Lily. All the parents politely applauded. Lily, sitting in the front row, had tears in her eyes and covered her mouth, moved. The teacher hosting the activity looked somewhat awkward and asked gently, “Mason, who did you draw? Why didn’t you draw Mommy?” Mason clutched his shirt hem, his voice loud. “Mommy always controls me. She won’t let me eat candy or watch TV.” “Lily plays with me and buys me good food. I want Lily to be my mommy.” Children’s words cut the deepest. The classroom immediately filled with a few awkward laughs, with some parents making excuses that children don’t understand. I stood up and strode toward the stage, wanting to take Mason home. But Gideon suddenly grabbed my wrist from the side. “Sutton Reed, what are you doing?” In his eyes, even my heartbreak and grief had to happen at a time that wouldn’t embarrass him. I forcefully shook off his hand and rushed out of the classroom. Just as I reached the stairwell, Lily pretended to chase after me. “Sutton, don’t be angry with Mason…” While apologizing with her mouth, she forcibly stuffed a photo from the family activity into my hand. In the photo, Mason stood on his tiptoes kissing Lily’s cheek while Gideon stood beside them, smiling tenderly and indulgently. Lily leaned close to my ear. “Sutton, actually children are more honest than men. He knows who’s more suitable to be his mother.” “Forcing yourself to stay in this family will only make everyone miserable.” I crumpled the photo into a ball, threw it in a nearby trash can, and left the kindergarten without looking back. Shortly after I got home, Gideon returned with Mason. He walked straight to the coffee table, pulled a document from his briefcase, and pushed it heavily in front of me. It was a divorce agreement. “Sutton Reed, since everyone’s unhappy, let’s just divorce.” He leaned back on the sofa, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. “You can keep living in this house temporarily, but custody of the child must go to me.” “You saw it yourself — Mason is very emotionally unstable right now. He can’t be separated from Lily’s care.” Looking at that neatly printed agreement, I suddenly found it absurdly ridiculous. I found it utterly absurd. “Gideon, you’re asking me to hand over both my husband and son to a mistress?” He frowned, his tone full of impatience. “Don’t make it sound so ugly!” “We’ve reached this point because you don’t know how to manage a family. Even the child rejects you — you can’t blame anyone else.” “Just sign it. Let’s part on good terms.” Mason hid behind Gideon’s legs, tightly hugging the teddy bear Lily had given him. I crouched down and looked at the son I’d carried for ten months, my voice trembling. “Mason, are you willing to come with Mommy? I promise from now on…” “I don’t want to!” Mason hugged the teddy bear even tighter, tears welling up in his eyes. He kept backing away, shouting at me through his tears. “Mommy, can you stop forcing me!” “I don’t want to choose you! I want to be with Daddy and Lily!” In that moment, I suddenly didn’t want to cry at all. I stood up, walked to the bedroom, and took out the three divorce certificates. And one more thing — a school transfer application I’d already stamped I’d already stamped. I pushed all these items in front of Gideon. Gideon looked at the transfer application, his expression finally changing, his brow furrowing tightly. “Sutton Reed, what do you mean? What game are you playing now?” I picked up the pen on the table and signed my name decisively. “It means this time, I’m not coming back.”

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